Six women are known to have been killed by partners or ex-partners in Italy in the five days since Ferragosto, with their cases prompting demonstrations in the Veneto region and an urgent parliamentary question over the killing of Tania Terrin, whose ex had already been reported to police multiple times.

Hundreds gathered in Camponogara, near Venice, on Thursday night under the banner Facciamo rumore ('let's make noise') after Terrin, 39, was strangled at her home by her ex-partner Dino Keber on the night of August 15th, Sky TG24 reported. Keber later hanged himself.

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Terrin had reported him to police in April after he attacked her, choking her from behind until she lost consciousness. In June, the questore of Venice issued a formal warning — an ammonimento, the lowest-tier preventive measure available in domestic violence cases. No restraining order was imposed. Keber had previously been reported by three former partners.

Terrin's mother told reporters her daughter had been to the carabinieri seven times to report Keber before her killing.

Joanna Rouissi, 50, was stabbed four times in the throat by her husband on Tuesday afternoon at their home in Colleferro, near Rome, in front of their nine-year-old son. Their five children were taken into care. The mayor of Colleferro, Giulio Calamita, said any signs of abuse "had been missed or not judged to be so dangerous."

The same day, Carmela Bifano, 72, was found dead in a field near Corigliano-Rossano, in Cosenza province. She had injuries that investigators believe were caused by repeated blows from rocks and stones found at the scene. Her 76-year-old husband, who initially told police two men had killed her, remained in custody on Friday.

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Ornella Forastefano, 46, was beaten to death on Ferragosto. She was left dying outside the emergency department of a hospital in Cosenza by her partner, who was arrested at the port of Bari as he tried to leave the country.

Maria D'Alessandro, 76, was stabbed to death the same day at her home near Benevento by her husband. On Monday, Michela Rubiu, 47, died in a Cagliari hospital after 25 days in a coma, having been shot in the head by her husband.

There had been no comment on any of the killings from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni or senior members of her cabinet this week.

The most senior government voice to address the killings was Fratelli d'Italia deputy Alfredo Antoniozzi, who cited interior ministry figures on Thursday showing 42 femicides recorded to August 19th, stressing that this was 36 percent lower than the 65 in the same period of 2025.

Democratic Party senator Anna Rossomando filed an urgent parliamentary question to justice minister Carlo Nordio and interior minister Matteo Piantedosi asking why Terrin had not been protected.

A junior justice minister, Alberto Balboni, told Ansa on Wednesday the ministry was "considering" sending inspectors to the prosecutor's office in Venice to establish what had gone wrong.

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Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto regional council and a member of the governing League party, called Terrin's killing a "failure" and said Italy had to ask what had gone wrong.

Around 100 women are killed in Italy each year, most by current or former partners, interior ministry figures show, with the rate of women killed by partners or former partners among the highest in Europe.

"The absolute silence of Meloni and this government is intolerable," Elisa Ercoli, president of Differenza Donna, the organisation that runs Italy's 1522 anti-violence helpline, told Editoriale Domani.

"Women's lives in Italy have got worse in these years, and women are dying amid institutional indifference."

Femicide has been a separate offence to homicide in Italian law since December 2025, carrying a life sentence, under a measure introduced by the Meloni government with bipartisan support.