The news in Italy this week has been dominated by two sexual violence scandals. In one, the son of the speaker of the senate, the street-fighting politician Ignazio La Russa, is under investigation for rape. In another, a 66-year-old school caretaker who, from behind, inserted his hands inside the underwear of a 17-year-old student from Rome, was absolved because the assault only lasted “between five and 10 seconds”.
