Sicilian sexual mores and Chicago judge

["Oddone Virginio" <oddovir@xxxxxxxxx>]

I just red in the Italian Newspaper that Ms. Fe Fernandes, a Chicago judge,
declared a father of sicilian origin not guilty of sexual abuse, because -
according to the press releases - "it is customary in Sicily to touch the
naked genitals of the offspring".

This is thoroughly false. Neither in Sicily or elswhere in Italy such
behavior is "customary" or allowed. We touch the genitalia of our offspring
only for hygienic reasons and only insofar as they are too small to do it
by themselves. Moreover, as in all mediterranean cultures, there has always
been a strong uneasiness in communication betwee parents and children on
sexual matters, with relevant information being usually not transferred
from one generation to the other, with a strict separation along gender
lines (father talking to boys, mother to girls - if ever); it has been
reduced during recent years but something still remains. All over Italy
there is a very strong taboo against any form of involvement of children in
sexual matters, particularly by their parents; pedophile and incestuous
parents do really risk lynching by aroused people when they get caught,
they end ostracized by both the community and the enlarged family.
Pedophiles do indeed exist, but they are object of a general disgust, at
every social level.

The only thing for which Sicilians did differ until 1975 from the rest of
Italy was in their proclivity to let very young girls marry (it is apparent
in all statistics from the 1880s onward). It all changed with the reform of
Family Law in 1975, which forbade marriage below the age of 16. But it is
quite different from pretending they are a sort of pedophilic parents.

I would also find the decision and all the relevant data about that trial.

Thankyou.

Dr. Virginio Oddone, MD
V. Avogadro 6
10121 - Torino
Italy.

e-mail: oddovir@ipsnet.it