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Italy

Monthly Event Reports

July 2023 | State Prosecutor removes same-sex parents from birth certificates

The state prosecutor in Padua ordered the removal of non-gestational mothers from the birth certificates of 33 children to lesbian couples. The order is retroactive, applying to parents who, since 2017, have had children abroad via surrogacy and have registered them in Padua. The ‘unofficial’ parent, now a legal stranger to the child, needs the authorisation of the legal parent to pick up the child from school, make medical decisions on its behalf and has no influence on the child’s future if the legal parent were to pass away. The decision leaves hundreds of families in legal limbo and according to Human Rights Watch affects the right to create a family, enshrined in multiple international legal frameworks ratified by Italy. Such retroactive orders are feared to spread to other regions of Italy, as part of a wider trend of restricting same-sex couples rights led by Giorgia Meloni’s government. A court is expected to rule on the decision in autumn.

May 2023 | New law curtails rights of migrants

The Italian government passed a new law to combat irregular migration, restricting the rights of migrants to seek special protection, access fair asylum procedures, and enjoy freedom of movement.  Analysts flagged that the decree is not effective in addressing human trafficking as intended and that it harms migrants already living in Italy. Human Rights Watch has said the authorities introduced the legislative changes through an emergency decree measure and by restricting parliamentary oversight. Rights organizations in Italy also expressed their concern over the authorities’ use of extraordinary measures and the declaration of a state of emergency in April to address enduring and systemic challenges such as migration.

April 2023 | Government announces state of emergency over migrants’ arrival

The government declared a state of emergency to deal with the increase of migrant arrivals across the Mediterranean. The decision was taken following the suggestion of the Ministry for Civil Protection and Sea Policies and will last for six months. According to the government, the measure aims to allow the authorities to respond to the crisis and repatriate migrants faster by bypassing Parliament in enacting laws, while giving the executive branch special powers. The data coming from the Interior Ministry show that 31,000 migrants arrived since the start of 2023, as compared to around 8,000 in the same period two years ago. However, according to civil society, actual numbers are higher.  In 2016, more than 181,436 migrants reached Italy, but a state of emergency was not declared.

March 2023 | Data Protection Authority bans ChatGPT over data privacy concerns

The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) has temporarily blocked the AI ChatGPT program over data privacy concerns. Garante contested the absence of clear data protection policies, a legal basis justifying personal data collection and storage, and an age-verification system preventing minors from accessing illicit material.  The authority also added that on 20 March ChatGPT experienced a data breach of user conversations and payment information. OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) risks a fine of up to EUR 20 million or 4 per cent of its worldwide annual revenue if it does not communicate a plan to adjust ChatGPT to comply with EU data privacy regulations. Italy has become the first Western country to block ChatGPT, prompting other regulators in Europe to examine ChatGPT’s compliance with data privacy regulations.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
59 066 220
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (since 2022)
Head of government party
Brothers of Italy
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Parallel
Women in lower or single chamber
36.4%
Women in upper chamber
35.0%
Last legislative election
2022
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.42
Head of state
President Sergio Mattarella
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly + regional/local representatives)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
04/11/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
95.42%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Signatory
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
in
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Categories of Democratic Performance

Representation neutral Representation
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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