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Rabat – The gang rape of a 13-year-old girl by seven Egyptian migrants in Sicily has sparked outrage and calls for tougher measures against sexual violence and illegal immigration in Italy.
The horrific incident took place on Monday evening in the municipal garden of Villa Bellini in Catania, an ancient port city on the island of Sicily.
According to local police reports, the girl and her boyfriend, both Italian, were approached by a group of seven foreigners who threatened and assaulted them.
The boy was beaten and held down by the attackers, while two of them took it in turns to rape the girl in full view of the others. Despite the screams of the girl and the boy, no one came to their aid.
Police were able to quickly identify and arrest the perpetrators thanks to images from nearby surveillance cameras and descriptions provided by the victims.
According to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, the seven suspects are all Egyptian nationals between the ages of 15 and 18. Four of them were over 18, but were also placed in migrant reception centers for minors, the newspaper added.
After their arrest, three of the suspects were taken to Catania’s Piazza Lanza prison, one was placed under house arrest and the other three were returned to the migrant reception center.
The shocking attack prompted political condemnation and calls for justice and security.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her solidarity with the young girl and her family, declaring: “The State will be present and justice will be done.”
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League party, called for chemical castration for rapists and pedophiles, as well as the immediate deportation of illegal immigrants.
“Don’t come and talk to me about ‘tolerance’ or ‘error’. In the face of such horrors, there can be no clemency but only one remedy: chemical castration. I’m counting on the proposal put forward by the League to be voted in as soon as possible,” he declared.
