The Italian Government approved on Thursday a decree to combat juvenile crime, allowing the detention of children from six years old, after a series of crimes committed by groups of young people.
The decree was adopted by the Council of Ministers a week after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Caivano, a suburb of the city of Naples in southwestern Italy, known for its high crime rates and drug trafficking.
In July, two 12-year-old cousins were allegedly repeatedly raped by six local youths in Caivano.
During the visit, Meloni promised to improve security in Caivano and rehabilitate an abandoned and dilapidated sports complex where some of the alleged rapes occurred.
The decree includes funding for rehabilitation, as well as a provision to appoint a special security commissioner for Caivano.
Meloni’s right-wing government, which came to power last year, has tried to show that it is tough on crime. One of the first acts of the new Executive was to approve a decree to prohibit rave parties.
Before her visit to Caivano, the prime minister received death threats, in part due to the progressive elimination of the minimum survival income in Italy.
Among the messages on social media was one that said local residents should “salute fisherman Meloni with rotten tomatoes for taking away survival income from the group of people living precariously in these areas.”
Another message says he hoped Meloni would leave his visit with physical marks on his body, “to understand the problems he caused.”
After the visit was announced, social networks revealed several intimidating messages against Meloni, under the pretext of cutting public support for sectors of the population that receive a minimum survival income.
The threatening messages provoked reactions of solidarity in various political circles, from right to left.
Source: TSF
