Franca Viola
Encyclopedia
Franca Viola is a Sicilian
woman that became famous in the 1960s in Italy for refusing a "rehabilitating wedding" ("matrimonio riparatore" in Italian
) after suffering kidnapping and rape
. Instead, she and her family successfully appealed to the law to prosecute the rapists. The trial had a wide resonance in Italy, as Viola's behavior clashed with the traditional social conventions, whereby a woman would lose her honour
if she did not marry the man she lost her virginity
to. Franca Viola thus became a symbol of the cultural progress and the emancipation of women in post-war
Italy
.
. When she was 17, she was kidnapped along with her younger brother (who was released shortly thereafter) by Filippo Melodia, who had previously courted her without success. Melodia was also known to have relations with a powerful family of the local mafia
. Viola was repeatedly rape
d and segregated for 8 days. Viola's father pretended to come to terms with the kidnappers while actually collaborating with the Carabinieri
police in preparing a successful dragnet
operation. Viola was thus released and her kidnappers arrested.
" (literally: a shameful woman), as she had lost her virginity without getting married. It is notable that these conceptions were not exclusive of Sicily or rural areas; to some extent, they were also implicit in the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure
of the time, which equated rape to a crime against "public morality" rather than a personal offence, and formalized (in art. 544) the idea of a rehabilitating marriage, stating that a rapist who married his victim would have his crime automatically extinguished.
itself was directly involved, as it became obvious that part of the existing code clashed with the public opinion
. The lawyers of Melodia tried to maintain that Viola had consented to a so-called "fuitina
" rather than being kidnapped, but the trial ended up with the conclusion that this was not the case and that Melodia was guilty. He was condemned to 11 years in jail.
Franca Viola married a young man she loved since childhood, named Giuseppe Ruisi, on December 1968. Both the Italian President Giuseppe Saragat
and Pope Paul VI
publicly expressed their appreciation of Franca Viola's courage and their solidarity to the couple. In 1970, director Damiano Damiani made the movie The Most Beautiful Wife, starring Ornella Muti
, based on Viola's case. Franca Viola, now a grandmother, still lives in Alcamo with her husband.
The article of law whereby a rapist could extinguish his crime by marrying his victim was abolished ten years later, in 1981.
Sicilian
Sicily is an autonomous Italian island. The adjectival form Sicilian can also refer to:* Sicilian language* Sicilian Baroque, baroque architecture in 17th & 18th centuries on Sicily...
woman that became famous in the 1960s in Italy for refusing a "rehabilitating wedding" ("matrimonio riparatore" in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) after suffering kidnapping and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. Instead, she and her family successfully appealed to the law to prosecute the rapists. The trial had a wide resonance in Italy, as Viola's behavior clashed with the traditional social conventions, whereby a woman would lose her honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
if she did not marry the man she lost her virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
to. Franca Viola thus became a symbol of the cultural progress and the emancipation of women in post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Kidnapping and rape
Franca Viola was the daughter of a couple of farmers in Alcamo, SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. When she was 17, she was kidnapped along with her younger brother (who was released shortly thereafter) by Filippo Melodia, who had previously courted her without success. Melodia was also known to have relations with a powerful family of the local mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
. Viola was repeatedly rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d and segregated for 8 days. Viola's father pretended to come to terms with the kidnappers while actually collaborating with the Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
police in preparing a successful dragnet
Dragnet (policing)
A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. The term derives from a fishing technique of dragging a fishing net across the sea bottom, or through a...
operation. Viola was thus released and her kidnappers arrested.
Refusal of a rehabilitating marriage
Melodia offered Viola a rehabilitating marriage, but she refused, thus acting against what was the common practice in the Sicilian society of the time. According to traditional social code, this choice would make her a "donna svergognata", i.e., a "woman without honourHonour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
" (literally: a shameful woman), as she had lost her virginity without getting married. It is notable that these conceptions were not exclusive of Sicily or rural areas; to some extent, they were also implicit in the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure
Italian Code of Criminal Procedure
The Italian Code of Criminal Procedure contains the rules governing criminal procedure in every court in Italy.The first and initial code in the Italian Republic was established by the Fascist Government in 1930 and was kept until 1988. This code adopted an inquisitorial system...
of the time, which equated rape to a crime against "public morality" rather than a personal offence, and formalized (in art. 544) the idea of a rehabilitating marriage, stating that a rapist who married his victim would have his crime automatically extinguished.
Consequences and trial
After Viola refused to marry her rapist, her family were reportedly menaced and persecuted, to the point of having their vineyard and cottage burned to the ground. These events and the following trial had a wide resonance in the Italian media, and the ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
itself was directly involved, as it became obvious that part of the existing code clashed with the public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
. The lawyers of Melodia tried to maintain that Viola had consented to a so-called "fuitina
Fuitina
The Sicilian term fuitina refers to a practice that used to be common in Sicily and other areas of Southern Italy, whereby a young couple would flee from their families in order to get married despite any vetoes put forth by the families themselves...
" rather than being kidnapped, but the trial ended up with the conclusion that this was not the case and that Melodia was guilty. He was condemned to 11 years in jail.
Franca Viola married a young man she loved since childhood, named Giuseppe Ruisi, on December 1968. Both the Italian President Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
and Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
publicly expressed their appreciation of Franca Viola's courage and their solidarity to the couple. In 1970, director Damiano Damiani made the movie The Most Beautiful Wife, starring Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti is an Italian actress. She was born in Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, to a Neapolitan father and Russian mother. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Leningrad , Russia, to Estonia...
, based on Viola's case. Franca Viola, now a grandmother, still lives in Alcamo with her husband.
The article of law whereby a rapist could extinguish his crime by marrying his victim was abolished ten years later, in 1981.