Overview
- The court’s judgment, deposited 2 July 2026, found Italy guilty of violating Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention for failing to protect Audrey Ubeda and her two children and ordered €15,000 each for the mother and children plus €15,000 for costs.
- Judges singled out a November 2021 archiving request by the Benevento public prosecutor that called an alleged knife threat a ‘bad joke’ and said it was ‘normal’ for a man to overcome a woman’s ‘minimal resistance,’ language the court called sexist and stereotyping.
- Strasbourg said investigators and courts did not conduct timely, thorough or effective inquiries and that the juvenile court took over three years to resolve parental-responsibility questions, creating prolonged uncertainty for the family.
- The court criticized that mother and children spent more than three years in a shelter without regular review or realistic alternatives such as assigning the family home or allowing relocation to France, which the judges said imposed a disproportionate burden.
- The ruling echoes GREVIO concerns about gender bias in justice systems and may push Italy to reform investigative practices, courtroom language and review of protective measures while the domestic criminal and civil processes remain uneven or unresolved.