Outrage over Ten-Second Groping Verdict

A janitor groped a student, and she filed a complaint. Now, he has been acquitted in Rome, with the reasoning that the contact lasted only five to ten seconds. The anger over this verdict is immense.

The fury of female students and women is being expressed in front of the Roberto Rossellini school. About a dozen have gathered here to protest against a verdict that has triggered anger among women in Italy, as expressed by student Carlotta: “This is a reflection of a society that we have to experience every day. It condemns women to live as victims and even to remain silent when harassed, for fear of being blamed.”

To understand the anger of Carlotta and her fellow protesters, we need to go back to April 2022. The scene: the Roberto Rossellini school. A 17-year-old student, accompanied by a friend, enters the classroom and feels someone from behind reaching into her underwear and grabbing her buttocks. It is the school janitor. The young woman reports the incident to the authorities.

Trivialization of violence against women

Now, a court in Rome has ruled that since the contact lasted only between five and ten seconds, the offense of sexual harassment is not fulfilled. For Elisa Ercoli, President of the women’s rights organization “Differenza Donne,” this verdict is a reflection of a culture that trivializes violence against women.

Indeed, the court acknowledges the assault, but categorizes it as “clumsy behavior without a sexual motive” on the part of the accused. He himself referred to it as a “joke without ill intentions.”

Should harassment last ten seconds?

In Italy, sexual harassment is a criminal offense. However, it is not specified how long the harassment must last to be recognized as such. The fact that a court in Rome has now defined a minimum duration of ten seconds is crying out for creative protest.

For example, there is a video on Instagram of a young couple: he grabs her buttocks, and she says, “You groper, I’m reporting you.” He, looking at the clock, responds, “I still have nine seconds.” She replies, “Ah, sorry, you’re right, it’s not a crime if it’s under ten seconds.”

Actor and writer Paolo Camilli popularizes the hashtag “10secondi.” Prominent individuals show solidarity with the young woman by groping themselves in videos, while keeping a stopwatch running. Ten seconds are certainly quite long.

Janitor returns to work at the school

The acquittal means that the janitor can return to his old job at the Roberto Rossellini school. The prosecution had requested a sentence of three and a half years.

The young woman apparently intends to appeal against the verdict. According to her lawyer, she refuses to accept that such an act is not punished as a crime.