Italy aims to discourage murders of women by spurned men

ROME – An Italian minister is spearheading efforts to discourage men from murdering women who spurn or leave them.

Reforms Minister Maria Elena Boschi, who also deals with equal opportunity matters, said in an interview in Corriere della Sera newspaper Saturday that the campaign to educate males against such violence must start first in the family but also involves schools and sports clubs.

Galvanizing the campaign is the recent case of a man who strangled, then set afire a woman in Rome who broke up with him and was seeing someone else.

Boschi says helping the campaign will be an Italian lawyer who testified against an ex-beau who had disfiguring acid doused on her face.

A red flag was recently draped from a window in Parliament to draw attention to such violence.