Italian
The real wound is not only in the violence, but in the silence that surrounds it. When the community intervenes, as in Treviso, hope is born. Only shared responsibility can transform pain into justice
ITALY – Sometimes the carpet is lifted and the dust we have hidden underneath comes back to the surface. That dust is our conscience, called upon every day to confront news stories that arouse scandal and indignation. The real scandal, however, lies not only in the news, but in the social mechanism that surrounds it: violence against women, adolescents and even children. These are shocking episodes, yet they continue to be repeated.
The pain is even more excruciating when it involves minors: girls and boys under the age of 14, sometimes even infants, violated by those who should have been the guardians of their trust. Schoolmates, relatives, role models. In some cases — dramatic but real — even parents.
Those who suffer sexual abuse carry with them a trauma that knows no end. Not only the violence itself, but also the unjust and devastating feeling of guilt: guilt for not having foreseen it, for having trusted, for having been naive. Victims often come to understand their aggressors, but they do not forgive those who did not protect them, those who pretended not to see, those who mocked or trivialised what happened. That is where the deepest wound lies: loneliness in the face of pain.
The scandal explodes with fanfare, but soon fades away, leaving the victims alone and the system unchanged. Yet the responsibility of adults is clear: to safeguard, protect and offer a reliable world in which young people can believe. Not a world of threats, but a safe place to grow up.
The work of reconstruction, for those who have suffered violence, is long, complex and never definitive. Anger turns into an inability to love, into mistrust of the world. The story told by Fabrizio De André in the song Marinella comes to mind: a young woman, alone and forgotten, abused and killed. A story inspired by a true event, which becomes a universal symbol of innocent pain.
The responsibility lies with everyone. Anticipating, preventing, protecting: this is the task of society. To care for and understand: this is the task of professionals. To deliver justice: this is the task of the law. Only in this way will the dust hidden under the carpet not continue to suffocate our collective conscience.
In the case of Treviso, it is important to note that it was her friends who intervened and defended their schoolmate, and this clearly restores confidence in those around us. They intervened, protected her, defended her, reassured her, and even encouraged her to seek justice for what she had suffered.
It is therefore a restorative gesture that teaches us once again how essential it is to watch over our neighbours: when others are watching over us, everyone feels safer, and the community becomes truly stronger.
The episode of the serial molester in Treviso highlights two fundamental aspects. The first is the individual dimension of violence, which often leaves the victim with psychological wounds that are impossible to heal: guilt, isolation, difficulty in rebuilding relationships of trust. It is a trauma that is not limited to the moment of abuse, but which is projected throughout the person’s life, making a full return to serenity complex, and sometimes impossible.
The second aspect is the collective dimension, which concerns society’s responsibility to prevent, recognise and react. The Treviso case highlights an essential point: if the community is vigilant and supportive, it can take on a protective and restorative role. The friends who defended and supported their friend are a positive example of immediate intervention, capable of stemming loneliness and restoring confidence to those who have suffered aggression.
In this sense, the text denounces the superficiality and indifference with which scandals are often reacted to, reduced to fleeting news items, and instead points to a way forward: transforming individual conscience into collective responsibility. Only in this way can the dust hidden under the carpet finally become visible and addressable.
