title: Femicide and murdered women's children: which future for these children orphans of a living parent?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the prevalence of femicides in Italy over the last three years and the potential long lasting effects of these traumatic events for the children of a woman who dies a violent death.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data used in this study come from an internet search for the number of femicides occurring in Italy between 1(st) January, 2012 and 31(st) October, 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total number of femicides was 319; the average age of murdered women was 47.50 ± 19.26. Cold arms in the form of sharp object -mostly knives- have caused the death of 102/319 women; firearms were used in 87/319 cases; asphyxiation was the chosen method in 52/319 cases. About the place where the femicides occurred, 209/319 were committed inside the victim's house. Children of women who died a violent death were 417 with a total of 180 minors in less than three years. A total of 52/417 children were witness to the killing and, among these 30/52 were minors; in 18/417 cases, children were murdered together with their mother and among these 9/18 were minors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term studies are needed to ascertain what happens to these children, to understand what are the most appropriate psychological treatments, the best decisions about the contact with their father and the best placement for these children.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. pferrara@rm.unicatt.it.|Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. pferrara@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. olgacaporale@libero.it.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Caporale
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. costanzacutrona@libero.it.
authors.forename: Costanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cutrona
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. annamariasbordone@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sbordone
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. maria2390@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. giuliettaspi@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. francescaianniello@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ianniello
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. giannaela.fabrizio@virgilio.it.
authors.forename: Giovanna Carmela
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Fabrizio
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. chiara100@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guadagno
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. mcristina.basile@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. francesco.miconi90@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miconi
authors.affiliation: Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy. giacarte@alice.it.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. riccardi@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riccardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. averrot@unich.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verrotti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics and Residency program, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. mpm@unifg.it.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pettoello-Mantovani
authors.affiliation: Pediatric and Infectious Disease Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy. alberto.villani@opbg.net.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. giocors@alice.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corsello
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. giovanni.scambia@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D054540:Child, Orphaned; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence