• Parliament has converted the Justice Decree into law, but opposition parties are lamenting the missed opportunity on electronic tags.
• Used to prevent the recurrence of violence against women, they are a useful tool but prone to malfunctions or tampering.
• The law provides for a check on the "operational feasibility" of the tags, but amendments on periodic checks and suspension of the measure in the event of violations were rejected.

Potentially, they represent a very important alternative to imprisonment for combating gender-based violence. In reality, electronic tags, used to remotely monitor the movements of perpetrators of stalking or other forms of violence against women (but also for those under house arrest) are often subject to malfunctions, limited availability, and in some cases deliberate tampering. For this reason, the Justice Decree, definitively converted into law by Parliament on 25 January 2025, could have represented a decisive step forward. Instead, the government chose to reject a series of amendments aimed at making the use of electronic tags more effective and safer.

Camera dei deputati @Montecitorio

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Con 163 voti favorevoli, nessun contrario e 103 astenuti, la Camera ha approvato in via definitiva il ddl recante misure urgenti in materia di giustizia.

#OpenCamera

♥ 7 21 gen 2025 · Apri su X →

The missed opportunities for electronic tags

Among the rejected proposals, put forward by the opposition, several stood out as both crucial and relatively straightforward to implement: for example, periodic and regular checks on the devices, to prevent malfunctions and tampering — issues that have already come to light in numerous cases and rendered useless tools that should guarantee protection. Also rejected was the suspension of the alternative sentence in the event of a violation, which would have allowed for the return to prison of anyone who breaches the conditions imposed by the electronic tag: a measure that could have served as a deterrent for those who attempt to circumvent restrictions. There was also no progress on immediate notification to the victim of their abuser's location in the event of risk: an amendment that could have made all the difference in situations of imminent danger, increasing the safety and autonomy of women exposed to threats.

An ignored alarm?

MP Stefania Ascari of the Movimento 5 Stelle, who co-signed the amendments, expressed her disappointment at the decision: "Failing to act on these issues means ignoring what has already happened. We had aimed to intervene in a targeted and surgical manner on these problems, but the government and the majority ignored every one of our proposals for improvement — even the one establishing the temporary suspension of the alternative sentence of electronic tagging in the event of irregularities." Valentina D'Orso also denounced the arrogance and indifference of the majority: "They slammed the door in women's faces." The decree, as approved, provides only for a generic check on the operational feasibility of electronic tags: a vagueness that risks leaving the most urgent problems unresolved. A missed opportunity that weighs heavily in a context where every delay or underestimation can cost lives.