Nearly two years after the femicide of Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old student murdered with a knife by her former boyfriend in a case that shocked the nation and reignited debate over violence against women, Italian society now faces a new reckoning. Public figures have had to condemn the online spread of degrading, sexualized images, including obscene photomontages targeting hundreds of women – among them, high-profile individuals such as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The shockwave spread after writer Carolina Capria spoke out about a Facebook page titled "Mia Moglie" ("My Wife" in Italian), which featured intimate photographs of women posted without consent by men in their circle, accompanied by comments undermining their dignity. On her Instagram account on August 19, Capria condemned "a masculinity that conquers, storms, occupies." The "Mia Moglie" group had more than 30,000 members when it was shut down on August 20. Law enforcement received several thousand complaints. On Friday, lawyer Annamaria Bernardini de Pace announced a class action lawsuit against Facebook.

You have 69.55% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.