Franco Tramontano: "Femicide is a cultural problem, we need to educate respect from childhood"

Franco Tramontano knows what it feels like. His daughter Giulia was killed at the age of 29 by her partner Alessandro Impagnatiello, on May 27th three years ago. And now look at the desperate appeal of Franco Isceri, Lorena's father. The pain is rekindled: «You have my full support, I share your message to politicians, so that they are united on issues such as feminicide».

What do you think of that father's words?

«He will carry the pain inside him forever. Yet he had the sensitivity to make an appeal for unity, for collaboration. He has all our closeness, as a family. Only those who experience certain things can understand what it means. For others it is a misfortune. For us it is the end of life."

His appeal to politics was striking. Do you share?

«Yes, it is a call to put aside differences and work together. This is what politics is for. I think that feminicides remain a cultural problem. We need to talk to kids in schools. Teaching humanity and respect. You cannot decide that if a person says no to you, you will kill them."

Will politics capitalize on it?

«We should talk about humanity and respect but in my opinion, today, we are surrounded by a climate of opposition to these feelings. We live in a world ravaged by war. So the appeal is right, a signal was needed. But we cannot, in the meantime, witness political actions that have hatred at their core. Otherwise everything we say to each other has no value."

And to think that Vannacci wants to abolish the crime of femicide...

«With your program I think we're going back to the 1930s. Even former Prime Minister Monti told him that it was unconstitutional. Abolishing the crime of femicide is unthinkable, that law was a step forward, it punishes a specific fact: "I'll kill you because you don't want to be with me". And it must be judged with a specific norm."

Lorena's dad says: "My life doesn't make any sense." From father to father, do you feel like telling him something?

«I would like to tell him to find the strength to carry on, however. To think that Lorena continues to live. Yes, even if we don't see her or hear her, she is with us and what she left behind is important. Every child always leaves behind indelible things that you remember forever. My daughter lived even less, but she left behind things that we relive every day."

"No woman should die like this. No woman should suffer...". Do we always take refuge in the hope of "never again"?

«I know...The problem is that there are many victims. Day by day. We have to overcome a generation, this generation. We come from the culture of patriarchy, of possession, which makes us almost irrecoverable. This is why we need to start with the children. I also go and speak in nursery schools. Maybe starting with less aggressive and strong words. But teaching respect. For those who have a different language, a different skin color and so on."

What is also striking in Isceri's words is the sense of guilt that torments those who remain.

«Don't tell me about the feelings of guilt. I haven't defeated mine yet. Sometimes I say to myself: "I shouldn't have allowed my daughter to leave. Maybe she would still be here." But it's not true, I don't think so, and I wasn't wrong. I understand that father very well. We were a happy family too. Only now are we trying to start again"