The crime of femicide will be punished by imprisonment for life according to a draft law that House Speaker Annita Demetriadou submitted in Parliament yesterday. This initiative comes in the aftermath of the increase of crimes against women, with the House Speaker raising the issue before the lawmakers so that a shield of protection will be placed for women.
As explained in the relevant report, the target of the draft law is to modify the Penal Code so that the crime of femicide will be laid down by law.
“Femicide is generally defined as the murder of women because they are women, though some definitions include any murders of women or girls. Femide has been used to describe killings of women by intimate partners and family members; it has also been used to describe gender-related killings in the community.”