A 17-year-old high school student was climbing the stairs in Rome, Italy. A commotion ensued at that time and he noticed that his pants had fallen off. The high school student then felt that the 66-year-old high school babysitter named Antonio Avola was touching his underwear with his hand…
IMMEDIATE REACTION: ‘YOU KNOW JOKING…’
Immediately after the incident that occurred in April 2022, Avola allegedly turned to the 17-year-old high school student and said, “I love you, you know I’m joking”.
The high school babysitter who was abused reported Avola to the police.
According to the news of the BBC newspaper, Avola admitted to touching the student without permission, but stated that it was a joke.
THE PROSECUTOR WANTED A THREE AND A AND A Half Years Prison, Acquitted…
A prosecutor in Rome sought a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Avola for the incident. But this week, Avola was acquitted of sexual assault charges.
The judges decided that the incident ‘doesn’t constitute a crime’ as it lasted less than 10 seconds.
REACTIONS GROWN
After the decision, Italy officially stood up. While the reactions on social media grew like an avalanche, thousands of posts were made on the subject.
After the shocking decision, a high school student who was harassed stated that she thinks that women who have been subjected to such attacks will refrain from voicing the harassment they have experienced because of such decisions of the judges.
According to the latest figures from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights between 2016 and 2021, it is known that 70 percent of women who have been harassed in Italy do not report the incident.