Femicides, over half of the orphans were under 9 years old and were at home during the crime

More than half of femicide orphans were under nine years old when they lost their mothers. Almost one in three children had not yet turned six and in 87.7% of cases the person responsible for the murder was a parent. Furthermore, for over half of the minors, the crime took place within the home. This is the picture that emerges from the report of the Respiro project - Support network for inclusion and resilience paths with special orphans, presented in Naples at the end of five years of activity. The investigation analyzed the situation of 124 orphans belonging to 78 families taken into care in Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily.

The data tells stories marked by violence well before the murder. 83.1% of the monitored orphans had already experienced at least one episode of violence or a highly traumatic event, while in over two thirds of the cases at least two experiences of this type were documented. Among the most frequent situations are witnessed violence, psychological abuse and emotional or material neglect.

At the time of the crime, 30.3% of the children were between one and five years old and 23.8% were between six and eight. Overall, nearly seven in ten had not yet turned twelve. In one case out of four the orphan directly witnessed the murder, while in 32% of cases he was present at home during the crime.

After the tragedy, it is mainly relatives who take care of the minors: around 80% are welcomed into the family, mainly by relatives on the maternal side. However, the subsequent path is often complex and in 20% of cases the initial arrangement changes over time.

The study also highlights the difficulties in accessing the services and supports provided by law. Almost half of the orphans had not received clinical interventions before entering the Respiro project and 45.5% had not benefited from the economic measures provided for by decree 71 of 2020. The share of those who did not obtain the compensation provided for by law 122 of 2016 was even higher: 62.8%.

To respond to these critical issues, the project has built a network made up of multidisciplinary teams, psychotherapeutic paths, support for foster families, interventions in schools and assistance with bureaucratic and legal procedures. A model which, according to the promoters, has contributed to making the care of children and young people affected by one of the worst traumas more timely and effective.