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It happens in the shadows. On abandoned construction sites. In the backyard. In warehouses. For a year now, gang rapes among teenagers and young adults have been shaking southern Italy again and again. In Caivano, in the province of Naples, two little girls (10 and 12 years old) were abused for months by a group of Italian teenagers; in Palermo on July 7, a 19-year-old was raped for hours by Sicilians. There are six to seven perpetrators in each case. Hardly anyone is older than twenty.
The crime scene in Catania is also cold and dirty. And again it is a group of seven young men. It is January 30, 2024. Around 7:30 PM, a couple is walking through the city’s oldest park, Villa Bellini, when young Egyptians get in their way. Four of them hold the boy (17) and beat him. Three more get the girl (13). They drag their victims to the public toilet, right next to the children’s playground. “Please don’t hurt me,” the girl cries desperately. Your plea is in vain. Before the eyes of her companion, the young Sicilian woman is brutally raped by two of her tormentors. The others watch and cheer.
Rape becomes a political issue
Ultimately the couple manages to escape. It collapses on the street. Passersby rush to help. The criminal complaint follows. All perpetrators were caught within 48 hours. Her identity is quickly established. They are illegal immigrants. They entered Italy as unaccompanied minors between 2021 and 2023. The youngest is 15 and the oldest is 19 years old.
It is the last gang rape in a series. And yet the political outrage is greater in the case of Catania. The Italian Prime Minister condemned the act in a statement. The perpetrators would be brought to justice, Giorgia Meloni (47) promised. Your deputy reiterates his call for drastic punishment. «A little girl is raped by seven Egyptians. Don’t come to me with tolerance and mistakes. There is only one treatment here: chemical castration,” Matteo Salvini (50) writes online. In the case of the other gang rapes, the League leader advocated a law that would allow forced chemical castration. This should be voted on now, Salvini said. Moreover, the right-wing populist once again emphasizes the correctness of his policy of no longer accepting refugees rescued from distress at sea.
Legalists are calling for forced castration and deportation
MEP Annalisa Tardino (44) is not only calling for forced chemical castration, but also for immediate deportation. “In Egypt they would never have allowed themselves such behavior. The safety of our children is a priority. “All over Italy,” said the Lega politician. According to some Italian media, the policies of the Social Democrats are partly responsible for the violence in the Villa Bellini park. Sandra Zampa (67) is in the pillory. The former Minister of Health and vice-president of the Social Democratic Party (PD) passed a law in 2017 that gives underage refugees the right to stay until the age of 21.
What is needed are solutions, not revenge, warns Luana Zanello (73) of Groenen. Left-wing senator Ilaria Cucchi (49) warns against exploiting the case for political purposes. And the Social Democrat Alessia Morani (48) asks on internet platform X: “Does it make a difference to rape whether the perpetrators are foreigners or Italians?”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
