“Laws and policies to contrast and prevent Gender-Based Violence Against Women: A comparative analysis between Spain and Italy (1993-2015)” by Stellamarina Donato is a well-written, impactful work that is useful to policymakers, academics, and other organizations working on Gender-Based Violence Against Women (GBVAW). Using international documents on GBVAW, as well as national policies and targeted interviews, this book analyzes important texts and specific cases to compare and contrast the responses of the governments of Spain and Italy to GBVAW. This book is absolutely essential in the creation of future policies to effectively target GBVAW throughout Europe, as well as for researchers looking to better understand the effectiveness of international and regional policy on national efforts to target GBVAW. Donato brings awareness to the lack of protection against GBVAW that continues to plague European countries, and this work has the potential to change the way in which GBVAW is examined by policymakers and researchers alike. It drives home that women have a right to exist in a world without violence, inspiring all those who read it to work toward positive change.

Alexandra Yingst

Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics

University of Iceland, Iceland

In my opinion, the volume is very interesting and well-organized, and it is pleasant to read.

The major strength of the volume is the analysis of international and regional documents on the GBVAW, conducted with different qualitative methods and in-depth interviews, and qualitative analysis of the text. The comparison between Italy and Spain, on how they deal with the phenomenon institutionally, two countries that are culturally very similar but potentially very different in the solutions adopted, is also interesting but potentially different.

Its originality recalls it above all in the approach top-down approach, from the UN to the national level, following a subsequently, the focus on both national sources, as well as the level of government responsiveness in terms of policies on GBVAW in Italy and Spain, while also comparing the cases.

The volume will interest both the public of associations and operators in the sector of social policies from a territorial and local point of view, but above all, those who are interested in the subject from an institutional and legal point of view.

Prof. Dr. Giovanna Truda

Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e della Comunicazione/DISPC

University of Salerno, Italy