The Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, spoke on Tuesday of the link between illegal immigration and the rise in violence against women, stressing that Italy will continue its efforts to combat this phenomenon. The statement was made on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Meloni pointed out that violence against women is a serious problem that Italy has not yet managed to solve, stressing that all the causes of the phenomenon must be addressed, Ansa reported.

“Illegal immigration has a significant impact on violence against women,” the prime minister said, adding that Italy is determined to continue efforts to curb it.

She officially referred to the cultural reasons that she said can reinforce gender-based violence, stressing that more effort must be made to combat them. “It is a paradox that violence against women is increasing while women are gaining more space in society,” she said, calling for reflection on the issue.

In the same vein, on Monday, Education Minister, Giuseppe Valditara said the rise in sexual violence in Italy was directly linked to illegal immigration.

Speaking at an event organised by the Giulia Cecchettin Foundation, dedicated to the memory of the 22-year-old student murdered last year by her ex-partner, Valditara said that “we cannot close our eyes to the reality” that the rise in sexual violence is linked to the marginalisation and social inequalities resulting from illegal immigration.

“We are a long way from solving the issue of hunger”

However, despite her strong position on immigration and its connection to gender-based violence, Meloni is not as optimistic that a solution to the issue of hunger and poverty will be found anytime soon.

She also stressed that ongoing global crises, such as the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, make solving these problems even more difficult.

“We are a long way from solving the issues of hunger and poverty, given the ongoing crises, such as in Ukraine, where Russia used the Sitar as a weapon, and in the Middle East,” the Italian prime minister said.