Maybe you, like me, have never known about Franca Viola, an international lawyer who wrote an article on Franca's case published on The Florentine on 30th April 2008. I have gone deep into her story.
Franca was a very beautiful 17 years old girl from Alcamo (Sicily) when, on December the 26 1965, was raped by Filippo Melodia.
For our mentality an abduction is unthinkable, but in the Sicily of those years wasn't an unusually pratice. The so called Fuitina (that means elopement) were often encouraged by some pooer families who couldn't afford dowries for their doughters, so, after an absence of few days from home, the couple had a rehabilitating marriage for saving the girl's honor.
Franca's case, like many others, wasn't a love case, but a case of violence. Franca had repeatedly rebuffed Filippo's advances so he, with the complicity of 12 friends, kept her secluted for more than a week. In that moment Franca hadn't many chance: she should have married her abductor or should be forever a shameless hussy without possibility for a normal life.
All this was possible because an article of the Criminal Code, abrogated in 1980, considered sexual violence an offonce against moral and not against the person; this means that the sentences for those crimes were very mild and if there was a marriage between the parts the crime come down.
Franca rebelled against all this and, with her father's help, she denounced her kidnappers that were arrested. During the trial the defence did everything to discredit Franca, but the judges refused to believe it. Melodia was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment and only in the 1978 he went out of the prison, after only 2 years he was killed in a mafia's execution.
The story of Franca moved a great debate throughout Italy on the woman's role in the society.
She led her life, married her sweetheart with whom she had three children and today Franca is a grandmother that still lives in Alcamo and she always believs that it wasn't courage, she only did what she felt listening to her heart; so she trasformed the Italian society and many other women could say no.
This incredible story become a film directed by Damiano Damiani " The Most Beautiful Wife" turning Franca in to a femminist icon but she is only a real woman.
Lia Fabbri
3 comments:
Hello,
I had forgotten about Franca Viola until I watched the movie version; then it all came back.
I was a young Italian woman living in London as an au-pair who saw the headlines in a paper and rushed to buy it (I cannot recall if I bought the Italian paper or an English one) and I sent her in an envelope my meagre pocket money.
I was so thrilled about this defiance, this glorious act of rebbelion but had forgotten all about it until the movie.
Thanks for the opportunuty.
Regards.
Emma
I am 75 years old now. I am most grateful tO Franca Viola AND her boyfriend at the time, both had the courage to obey their heart and deny unjust social requests. The both have helped many honest and socially unabled persons. Again THANK YOU for existing and having obeyed to the heart's honesty !!! Margherita
My last name is Viola and my Father's name was Frank and also my brother. Our grandfather was from Alcamo. I did not know about Franca Viola until now. Could we be related?
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