Abstract

During the year 2013 Italy adopted new legislative measures aimed to combat violence against women (Law 119/13). By conducting a process tracing analysis, based on official documentation, media coverage and civil society material, the article reconstructs the legislative process from the governmental bill to the parliamentary final text. It will be argued that the dominant policy discourse centered on 'women as person to be protected' was in line with the conservative policy legacy that proved to be resistant against any attempt of reforming on women's rights issues, despite the international pressures for change.