In a shocking ruling, Italian Court says TEN seconds groping did not amount to sexual harassment
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Italian court cleared a school caretaker of groping a teenager ruling that the ten seconds did not amount to sexual harassment
Italian court cleared a school caretaker of groping a teenager ruling that the ten seconds did not amount to sexual harassment.
A judge in Italy absolved a school caretaker of groping a teenager because it did not continue long enough, prompting many young people to vent their displeasure on social media.
A 17-year-old Rome high school student is the subject of the case.
She recalled coming up a staircase to class with a buddy when she felt her pants fall down and felt a hand touching her buttocks and grabbing her underwear.
“Love, you know I was joking,” the man told her when she turned around.
The incident took place in April 2022, and following it the student reported the caregiver, Antonio Avola, age 66, to the authorities.
He acknowledged inappropriately touching the student but claimed it was a joke.
However, this week the caregiver was cleared of all allegations of sexual assault, despite a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence being requested by the Rome public prosecutor.
The courts ruled that because what occurred lasted less than 10 seconds, it “does not constitute a crime”.
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Since the ruling, palpata breve – a brief groping – has become a trend on Instagram and TikTok in Italy, along with the #10secondi hashtag.
Italians have posted videos looking at the camera in silence and touching their intimate parts for 10 seconds straight.
The videos have the aim of showing just how long 10 seconds can feel.
Recent figures from the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) suggested that 70% of Italian women who had suffered harassment between 2016 and 2021 did not report the incident.
“They will feel that reporting abuse is just not worth it. But it is important because silence protects the aggressors.”
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