Gender-based stereotypes and the judiciary. Italy before the ECHR

• Autores: Camilla Crea
• Localización: Actualidad jurídica iberoamericana, ISSN 2386-4567, Nº. Extra 19, 2, 2023 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Gendering Law: Challenges and perspectives), págs. 50-71
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Estereotipos de género y poder judicial. Italia ante el TEDH
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    Como ha puesto de manifiesto recientemente el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos (TEDH, JL contra Italia, 2020), el “residuo tolerado” de abusos y violencia sexuales por parte de varones dista mucho de limitarse a las estructuras sociales italianas; también tiene un impacto significativo en las instituciones jurídicas y, en particular, en los procesos penales.

    En los juicios por violación, la aprobación de actitudes negativas hacia las mujeres suele ir acompañada de la aceptación de una serie de “monstruosos” mitos sobre la violación (creencias estereotipadas y/o falsas sobre la violación, las víctimas de violación y los violadores). Estos mitos desplazan la culpa de las agresiones sexuales de los agresores a las víctimas, llegando a un punto en el que la denuncia de la víctima se convierte en una prueba de su carácter y credibilidad, especialmente en lo que se refiere a su comportamiento sexual y su integridad moral.

    En consecuencia, este fenómeno contribuye a permitir que el sistema de justicia penal italiano se convierta en un sistema de victimización secundaria en lugar de una fuente de apoyo para las mujeres que han sido violadas.

    Un análisis crítico de la sentencia del caso JL contra Italia nos permite sacar a la luz la interiorización subyacente de estereotipos basados en el género y la injusticia epistémica que sigue influyendo en los jueces y la sociedad italianos, lo que, a su vez, aumenta la brecha entre la ley en los libros -las protecciones formales consagradas en las leyes de protección contra la violación- y la ley en acción.

  • English

    As recently evidenced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR, JL v. Italy, 2020), the “tolerated residuum” of sexual abuse and violence by males is far from limited to Italian societal structures; it also has a significant impact on legal institutions and particularly on criminal proceedings.

    Within rape trials, the endorsement of negative attitudes towards women is frequently coupled with the acceptance of an array of ‘monstrous’ rape myths (stereotyped and/or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, and rapists). These myths shift the blame for sexual assault from the perpetrators to the victims, reaching a point where the victim’s claim becomes a test of her character and credibility, particularly concerning her sexual behavior and moral integrity. Consequently, this phenomenon contributes to allowing the Italian criminal justice system to become a system of secondary victimization rather than a source of support for women who have been raped.

    A critical analysis of the JL v. Italy decision allows us to expose the underlying internalization of gender-based stereotypes and the epistemic injustice that continues to influence Italian judges and society, which, in turn, increases the divide between the law in the books – the formal protections enshrined in rape shield laws – and the law inaction.

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