Violenza e odio basati sul genere

This chapter conceptualizes gender-based violence and gender-based hate against women as a "structural emergency" deeply embedded in social mechanisms that reproduce unequal power dynamics, rather than a transient or isolated crisis. Drawing upon statistical data, the author highlights that one in three women in the EU-27 has experienced physical or sexual violence, while also underscoring the pervasiveness of online misogynistic hate speech. By unpacking the etymology of the word "emergency" (e-mergere, meaning to surface), the author critiques mainstream political and media narratives that sensationalize acute crimes like femicide while ignoring the systemic patriarchal roots and state complicity that perpetuate women's subordination. The text provides a comprehensive overview of how the legal understanding of gender-based violence has evolved across international, regional, and European frameworks. Finally, the chapter evaluates the European framework, identifying the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention (2011) as the most advanced binding international instrument to date for preventing and combating domestic and gender-based violence.