Barbara Spinelli

Barbara Spinelli is an international lawyer from Bologna bar association (Italy). She graduated with honours and is an expert lawyer on asylum and the defence of women survivors of male violence.

Co - President of the European Lawyers Association for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH). Member of the Study Committee on Human Rights of the Bologna Bar Association and of the Commission for International Mediterranean Relations of the CNF, and author of "Femminicidio. Dalla denuncia sociale al riconoscimento giuridico internazionale" (Franco Angeli, 2008) and other publications on femicide and feminicidio and human rights.

Member of ASGI (Associazione Studi Giuridici sull'Immigrazione). She has carried out professional training on citizenship, protection of victims of trafficking, immigration, asylum, and the assistance of unaccompanied foreign minors. She supports mixed couples in marriage and residence permit procedures. Since 2011, she has been dealing with asylum applications. She deals with her clients directly in English, French, and Spanish.

She has been independent expert on femicide for UN Special Rapporteur on violence against Women and Girls, and indipendent  expert on access to criminal justice system for women and girl survived to male violence for UNODC. She has carried out professional training on the protection of women survivors of male violence and human trafficking for both lawyers, social workers, and educators. She has more than 20 professional publications on the subject. She defends victims of male violence against women and forced marriages.

She wrote the entry 'Feminicide' for the Treccani encyclopedia and numerous publications on the subject. She has taken on the defense of victims' families and anti-violence centers in feminicide trials.

  Awards: SEN Prize for standing out in defense of women's right, CNF medal of merit for her activities as international observer.