Gendered Court Decisions? The Juridical Representation of Violence Against Women

Analysing a sample of 283 judgments related to crimes of violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual violence, murder/femicide, human trafficking, and stalking, this chapter demonstrates how gender stereotypes and prejudices regarding gender relations, role expectations, and women's representation are still deeply rooted in Italian society and, to some extent, in its courtrooms. The analysis identifies and describes the critical elements present in the representation of violence against women in Italian penal judgments. These elements include the portrayal of the victim and the significant role of her testimony, as well as three recurring biases: family dispute bias, jealousy bias, and raptus bias. Additionally, there is a notable absence of references to key international regulatory sources, such as CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention.