Femincide, the mother of a victim: "Italian justice forgets women who are killed"

“Pain doesn't go away, it can't transform itself.

Time has stopped".

These are the first words that Letizia Marcantonio, 79, mother of Rossana Jane Wade who was killed on March 1, 1991 by her boyfriend Alex, says to us when we reach her on the phone on this international day for the elimination of violence against women.

A day of commitments for Letizia who, at 79, is still striving to promote a better culture and justice, which better protect women victims of violence.

Tonight in Fiorenzuola (Piacenza), the town where she lives, she will participate in a meeting at the Municipality to honor, once again, the memory of her daughter.

“Rossana was 19 years old and wanted to be a policewoman, and was due to start the preparation course for the competition shortly.

She was convinced that this had to be her path and, probably, this was the reason for her end ”, she tells us starting to retrace the last period of the girl's life.

“Her boyfriend Alex was a bully, jealous, extremely possessive;

allegedly linked to a criminal ring;

Rossana could become an obstacle with her passion for the law and her desire to join the police force".

Rossana Jane Wade was murdered on March 1, 1991

, it was a Friday night. 

"I still remember everything, I'm 79 years old and I don't forget anything", Letizia begins as she retraces the last moments of her daughter's life. 

“At that time she lived at my husband's house in Alseno, and that evening she worked at the bar of the senior citizens club until midnight.

In the morning at six my ex-husband found him in front of the house, told him that he had been wandering around all night.

I think he was already planning the murder.

That night-Letizia continues-he had premeditated everything.

He waited for Rossana to finish the night shift outside the bar of the senior citizens club where she worked.

Then, after eating a pizza, they returned to Alseno.

On the morning of March 2 they found Rossana dead inside a railway toll booth, on the road that leads from Chiaravalle di Alseno to Fiorenzuola”.

“I had gone shopping - continues Letizia - and when I returned the neighbor told me that the police had come.

I went to do the recognition, she was strangled.

They found the receipt from the pizzeria in their boyfriend's pockets, Rossana had paid for the dinner".

“Justice forgets the murdered women”

In addition to the immense pain, Letizia has to deal every day with the feeling of anger for the already concluded judicial process of the man who murdered her daughter.

“On March 1, it will be 32 years since Rossana died, he was sentenced in Piacenza to 32 years and only served 12. In addition, he came out of prison with an engineering degree.

Today he lives in Milan, he got married.

My daughter experienced nothing!

.

I can't forgive him."

On the indemnity front, Letizia, an orphan of a daughter, represents a 'leading case'.

With your lawyer Claudio Defilippi, an expert in violent crimes, you obtained compensation of 100,000 euros, an amount higher than the ceiling of 60,000 set by Italian law for the children or close relatives of victims killed by a partner or ex .

On the other hand, on the compensation front, nothing was paid to Letizia and her other two children, brothers of Rossana.

"He had to pay 250 million lire each to my husband and me and 150 million lire to my two children, where did they end up"?

pixabay

Law Lawyer Justice Judge

The protection of women and inadequate compensation

The issue of

is the weak point of Italian legislation, as the lawyer of Letizia and many other orphans of femicide,

, reminds us : "In Italy

- he explains.

In reality it is 50,000 if the person does not live together, an additional 10,000 if it is a close relative living together.

An incongruous figure.

.

The State then compensates the dead from 2005 onwards.

This is absurd”!!

The European directive 80 of 2004 showed the way, but the European countries go their own way.

Greece is the rear light in compensation for orphans of feminicide, but Italy comes immediately after with 60,000 euros. 

“Germany and France - Defilippi tells us - are the countries that compensate very high sums: 1.5 million for Germany and about 1 million for the French state.

Spain also compensates high amounts, we are talking about 300-400 thousand euros.

It is almost a compensation, as if the State felt responsible".

“Fortunately - the lawyer underlines again - recently in Italy there have been some sentences in which the compensation paid to orphans of relatives killed by their partner was much higher.

Even in one case there is talk of victims to be compensated, not to be compensated.

Change the situation we talk about compensation and not compensation.

This means that the law needs to be reviewed”. 

But the legislative intervention, according to the lawyer Defilippi, is not only necessary to increase compensation, but must aim at a change in the legislation regarding the compensation of the guilty to the relatives of the victims.

“Italian justice is lacking in protecting victims in the event of blood crimes.

Giving the possibility of having the abbreviated procedure or a sentence discount to those who have not compensated the relatives of the victims in the slightest is a mistake.

In Germany, if a sentence reduction is requested for the convict, this must demonstrate that he intends to provide compensation.

German legislation allows for the abbreviated procedure to be obtained by allowing those who have to serve their sentence to go into debt with the guarantee of the State, even for those who have nothing.

It is a different criminal policy which does not allow the victims and orphaned relatives to be 'mocked'”.

In fact, the lawyer points out that in Italy the relatives of the victims often have to pay the legal costs, while those who kill often dispose of their assets before or immediately after committing the murder so as to be destitute before the state.

"It would be necessary to immediately seize the assets of those who kill, we would need the immediate seizure and confiscation of assets even for those under investigation but without definitive conviction", concludes Defilippi.

“The penal law which is inadequate, we need greater sensitivity but also a cultural change.

The media also have a little to blame.

When it comes to victims they are interested in the human case but they inform in depth to change things.

If people don't even know that there is a law on violent crimes how do they exercise their rights”?