Violence against Women within Italian and European Context: Italian “Pink Code”—Major Injuries and Forensic Expertise of a Socio-Cultural Problem: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: Violence against women or other vulnerable individuals is a serious violation of human rights and a global public health issue representing a significant “problem of enormous global health proportions”. Violence against women is an endemic phenomenon; the numbers are very high, highlighting the severity and urgency of the problem. Methods: We conducted this research by examining the field of violence against women. Our analysis involved reviewing papers published between 2018 and December 2023, which were identified through electronic database searches. Out of a total of 136 papers initially identified, we considered 71 documents. Results: This research highlights the global nature of violence against women, including psychological assessments of harm, as a socio-cultural problem and underlines the more common injuries. Conclusions: We examined how the presence of forensic experts can be beneficial in identifying and evaluating injuries, as well as reconstructing the dynamics of the events, particularly for judicial purposes.

Keywords

• violence against women
• forensic expertise
• socio-cultural problem
• psychological damage
• healthcare
• social science