Romanian President Nicosor Dan approved a law aimed at combating “femicide.” The law introduces this concept into the country’s legislation for the first time and stipulates a penalty of up to life imprisonment. The relevant information was published on the official page of the Romanian President on social networks.
Dunn said violence against women has been ignored or not adequately addressed for too long.
“Under the new law, femicide — the killing of a woman based on gender hatred or as part of domestic violence — faces 15 to 25 years in prison or life imprisonment,” the post read.
Previously, these crimes were classified as brutal murder in Romanian law, but now the term “femicide” has received a legal definition as a form of gender-based violence.
Those in charge of the initiative explained the need to tighten measures due to the growth of crime in families. According to statistics for the eight months of 2025, family members committed 33 murders, and women were the victims in 69 percent of the cases. On average, three women die at the hands of their relatives every month in Romania.
The bill was introduced to Parliament in October 2025 and received unprecedented support: more than 270 MPs from all political parties signed it. Supporters of the law contend that it gives law enforcement the tools needed to intervene before domestic violence leads to tragedy.
Romania became one of the European countries that legalized the term “femicide.”
However, this is not the first time this term has appeared as a result of any incidents. Protests erupted in Argentina last fall after two 20-year-old girls and a 15-year-old girl were killed by a drug gang. The Ni Una Minos (not less) movement organized a march against violence against women, joined by feminist organisations, political parties, trade unions and relatives of the victims. Participants described the incident as a murder of women.