Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
SYRACUSE / HEALTH AND RIGHTS – Gender-based violence, domestic assaults and sexual offences continue to show a worrying rise across the Syracuse area. The scale of the problem is confirmed by judicial data: 326 precautionary measures imposed in the past year, sharply up from 248 in the previous period. This alarming trend has persisted into the current year, accompanied by a high number of protected hearings and evidentiary proceedings involving victims in conditions of extreme vulnerability.
To tackle the emergency, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Syracuse has set out a new, detailed organisational strategy in its circular on the management of prosecuting offices, aiming to create an integrated, multi-level response.
A stable network to prevent withdrawal of complaints
Experience in the field shows that a lack of coordination between institutions, health services and law enforcement has often undermined protection efforts. An analysis of Court rulings reveals that a significant proportion of acquittals stems from victims retracting their statements, driven by lengthy trials, a lack of financial independence and social isolation after reporting the crime.
To break this vicious circle, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is working to identify publicly run safe houses across the Syracuse area, securing dedicated funding to protect women and minors and prevent victims from returning to their abusers.
Protocol with the provincial health authority (ASP), Codice Rosa and experts on call
Among the operational directives in the new action plan are:
- Review of the protocol with the ASP: establishment of a permanent working group to agree on fast, standardised procedures.
- Strengthening of Codice Rosa: dedicated, high-protection pathways within the A&E departments of hospitals in the district.
- Rota of expert psychologists: immediate specialist advice and qualified support during the examination of vulnerable individuals.
- Training and prevention of secondary victimisation: targeted courses for the judicial police on applying Italy’s fast-track procedure for domestic and gender-based violence (Codice Rosso), assessing the risk of repeat offences and conducting protected interviews, along with a refurbishment of the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s protected interview room.
