The Regulation of Femicide – between Social Necessity and the Response of Criminal Law

Abstract

The indivisible values of human dignity, freedom, equality, and solidarity have been at the heart of the European project since the European Union was founded. Despite the promotion and protection of the interests of the citizens of the member countries through the affirmation of these solemn principles, femicide—a violent and systemic phenomenon—continues to spread, requiring firm responses from all states. The commission of such an act cannot be considered in isolation or viewed as a mere personal tragedy, but is the extreme and brutal form of gender discrimination, the end point of a spectrum characterized by violence that is deeply rooted in the structural inequalities between men and women in all societies. At the European level, the data, although fragmented and underreported due to a lack of harmonization of definitions and collection methods, paint an alarming picture. Statistics from European agencies and non-governmental organizations illustrate a public security crisis of pandemic proportions. In countries such as Germany and France, official figures show that dozens of women lose their lives at the hands of their partners or former partners every year. In Romania, news stories about women killed by their partners have unfortunately become a common refrain in the daily press, highlighting an alarming gap between social reality and the system's effective response.