Judgement versus Prejudice. A Best-Practice Case Study in the Legal and Social Representation of Gender Based Violence

Abstract

The representation of male violence against women in public discourse can contribute to various forms of gender-based social injustice and lead to secondary victimisation. Journalistic and legal language plays a key role in this process: it can reinforce distorted narratives or, conversely, help promote a culture that actively challenges and prevents gender discrimination and violence. This paper draws on the analysis of a corpus of judicial rulings issued between 2020 and 2022 by the Court of Tivoli, a nationally recognised example of good practice in the legal handling of gender-based violence. Based on this analysis, the article aims to identify effective strategies and formulate guidelines for the accurate and responsible representation of gender-based violence in both legal and journalistic language.