Milan, Italy – A contentious court ruling in Italy, acquitting a school janitor of groping a student due to the act lasting less than ten seconds, has ignited a firestorm of outrage across the country, reported CNN.
The judges presiding over the fifth criminal section of the Court of Rome delivered a verdict clearing the 66-year-old accused, as reported by Italian state broadcaster RAI. They justified their decision by citing the brevity of the incident, which they estimated to be “about five to ten seconds.”
According to the RAI report, the victim, who was 17 years old at the time, testified that the incident occurred in April 2022 while she was ascending a staircase at school with a friend. She recounted that she felt a hand beneath her briefs, touching her buttocks, prompting her to quickly adjust her trousers. This testimony was recorded in the judgment issued on July 6.
As per the teenager’s statement mentioned in the judgment, the janitor allegedly responded to the incident by saying, “Love, you know I was joking.”
During the trial, the janitor admitted to touching the student but contended that it was done “as a joke.”
The judges accepted the defense’s argument, characterizing the act as a “clumsy joke” devoid of any “libidinous intent” towards the girl.
The ruling has triggered an outpouring of condemnation from students and set off a viral trend on social media platforms.
Here’s why this ‘10 second groping’ rule is going viral in Italy.
Read more about #10secondi here: https://t.co/PloWwJUYPP pic.twitter.com/DNVyjrMaMZ
— SBS News (@SBSNews) July 13, 2023
A local union representing high school students, known as ‘Rete degli Studenti Medi del Lazio,’ expressed their outrage on Facebook, emphasizing that “this is not a joke, there is nothing funny about it.”
“It is unacceptable that we cannot feel protected at school. Once again, the patriarchal system has prevailed, with the implicit support of institutions and politics. This model does not represent us. We will always stand on the side of a secure society built on respect,” they declared on Tuesday.
In response, numerous Italians have taken to Instagram and TikTok to post videos of themselves touching a sensitive part of their bodies for a duration of ten seconds, marked by a visible timer. Their aim is to illustrate that this duration can be surprisingly long, causing discomfort and potentially altering a person’s life. The accompanying hashtags #10secondi and #palpatabreve (brief groping) accompany these posts.
Among the individuals who have joined this social media movement is actor Paolo Camilli, known for his role in “The White Lotus.” Camilli shared a video on his Instagram account, captioned “Shouldn’t the state protect us?”
The public outcry and widespread engagement on social media underscore the profound societal concern surrounding the court ruling, reigniting discussions about the importance of safeguarding individuals against all forms of assault and harassment.
