Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited a rundown Naples suburb and promised change after youths reportedly raped two girls.
Giorgia's Thursday visit included heavy security, and she promised to improve safety in the area where drug traffickers operate largely with impunity. Additionally, organized wields influence in the area.
Giorgia Meloni Visits Naples Suburb
The lawmaker spent a few hours in the area at the invitation of the local parish priest in the Green Park neighborhood in the town of Caivano. This is where the two girls, cousins aged 11 and 12, were allegedly assaulted repeatedly.
Meloni's trip to the suburb was meant to show that her nearly-year-old right-wing government is tough on crime and attentive to people living in largely neglected areas of the nation. The lawmaker met with Rev. Maurizio Patriciello, a school principal, and other local figures.
Then, she promised that an abandoned, rundown sports complex, the suspected site where some of the alleged rapes occurred, would be repaired and operational by spring, as per the Independent.
The premier said that $11 million was already allocated to repair the complex to make it operational. The fund would also be used to fix swimming pools and tennis courts. The country's army's engineering corps will carry out the effort. After the complex is successfully reopened, it will be run by police athletic organizations.
Meloni also decried the alleged rapes of the young girls as "an inhuman act, an infamous crime that has really shocked everyone." The Italian premier added that there were likely more stories similar to the recent cases that have not surfaced.
She said that they will not limit themselves to dutiful condemnation and dutiful solidarity, adding that her visit to Green Park means that "no-man's lands cannot exist in Italy." The premier also committed to a crackdown against criminality, illegality, and drugs. Meloni said that the number of police and local justice officials will be increased to address the issues.
Cases of Rape
Reports noted that the suspects in the rape of the two young girls were under the age of 14 years, while one was 19 years old. According to Euronews, the victims were allegedly subject to the same abuse six or seven times for several months until July.
The two girls were taken away from their families, considered guilty of ignoring signs that something was wrong with the victims, and placed with social services in a different town.
The situation comes as Meloni's partner, Andrea Giambruno, is accused of victim blaming after commenting on the recent rape case. In a statement on his "Diario del Giorno" television talk show, Giambruno said that avoiding getting drunk is one way to avoid running into certain problems and becoming the victim of abusers.
Immediately after, opposition politicians condemned Giambruno's comments with Cecilia D'Elia, a senator with the opposition Partito Democratico, saying that boys should be educated to show respect instead of girls being taught to be careful, said Reuters.
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