Italian Meloni promises change in a lawless town near Naples after the rape of two minors

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni traveled to a crime-ridden town near Naples on Thursday, where two young girls were recently raped, in a controversial visit that followed the prime minister’s decision to cut social benefits for the region’s poorer residents in general.

advertisement

Local media reported that the two girls, aged 10 and 12, who were residents of an area called Parco Verde di Chivano (literally: Green Park of Chivano) – a social housing neighborhood – were raped by a group of six men in an abandoned warehouse that was Used by the Camorra, the local mafia.

Most of the attackers were under the age of 14, while one of them was 19 years old.

According to reports, the girls were subjected to the same abuse six or seven times over a period of months up to July. They are taken away from their families – who are considered guilty of ignoring signs that something is wrong with the girls – and placed in social services in another town.

This is not the first time that Chivano, known as a lawless city, has found itself in the spotlight. For many years, the area was a site where the local mafia trafficked drugs and hid supplies and weapons.

In 2014, 6-year-old Fortuna Loveredo was raped and murdered by her stepfather, who pushed her off the balcony on the eighth floor of a building in Parco Verde di Quifano.

Ten years ago, the area was also known as the “Land of Fires” or the “Triangle of Death” because of the toxic fumes from the illegal burning of waste.

the recent rape The two girls’ incident sparked cries demanding that the government visit the town and intervene to change its fate.

But while Meloni was invited by the girls’ family to visit Kivano, the right-wing prime minister received a series of death threats on social media ahead of her trip, alarming the authorities.

Naples – and Chivano – is one of the regions most affected by the Meloni government’s decision to cut social benefits linked to citizens’ income, a program launched by the former Five Star Movement leadership.

The citizens’ income system, which came into effect in 2019, allocated a monthly allowance for families and individuals with limited incomes and the unemployed. With Meloni’s changes, benefits will be cut for any families that do not include a disabled person, a minor, or an individual over the age of 65.

The decision to cut social benefits – announced to families via text message – sparked protests in Naples, home to the largest number of beneficiaries.

advertisement

“I advise you to stay at home, 160,000 families have been left without the income of citizens and without groceries. “Are you sure you will come home from Kivano?” says one of the many messages trying to intimidate Meloni on social media before her visit.

Another says: “I hope you die in Kivano.”

Meloni said the threats would not stop her from “fighting crime”.

“We are here not only to express condemnation and solidarity, but also to commit ourselves (to fix the problem),” Meloni said, during a press conference in Kivano.

She said her visit was a symbol of the return of the Italian authorities and institutions to a region that was seen as absent.

advertisement

She added that there are many other places like Chifano on the outskirts of Italy, and promised that her government would not leave her behind after the media spotlight turned away from her.

Meloni announced that the government will rehabilitate the sports center in Kivano, now abandoned and in very poor condition, in the coming months and will increase the presence of police officers in the area. She also said that more resources will be provided to local schools, which will remain open in the afternoon.