Meloni has spearheaded the redevelopment of Caivano, a disadvantaged town on the edge of Naples, which became a symbol of criminality and deprivation after the gang rape of two preteen cousins, which five people were convicted over. Meloni said earlier this month that security was her “priority” for the next few months.

The far-right League, part of Meloni’s governing coalition and which has made establishing a law on chemical castration for pedophiles and rapists a key part of its platform, put forward the motion. Under the League’s proposals convicted sex offenders could receive a suspended sentence in exchange for undergoing hormone blocking treatment.

League chief Matteo Salvini welcomed the news, writing on X: “Victory for the League! … Good. Another important step forward for our historic battle for justice and common sense: zero tolerance for rapists and pedophiles.”

But opposition groups called the proposals “extremist” and “in violation of humanity and justice.”

MP Simona Bonafè of the opposition center-left Democratic Party said the League’s proposal was  “unconstitutional … undermining the foundation of our legal system that has overcome the use of corporal punishment for centuries.”

The Green and Left Alliance criticized the League’s “endless vocation for repression.”