‘Severely’ mentally ill woman is raped while isolated with Covid-19 in Italian psychiatric clinic and falls pregnant
- Young woman was attacked at clinic in the Sicilian town of Troina in April
- The woman’s mental illness means she is severely physically disabled
- Doctors, nurses and other staff are being questioned to discover what happened
- It has not yet been ruled out that an ‘outsider’ may have assaulted the victim
A severely mentally ill woman who was raped while isolating for coronavirus in an Italian psychiatric clinic has fallen pregnant.
The young woman, whose condition means she is physically disabled, was attacked in the Sicilian town of Troina in April at the height of the region’s ‘red zone’ lockdown.
Police have been questioning doctors, nurses and other staff at the Oasi Maria SS, a specialist clinic and research institute in the province of Enna, to discover what happened.
It has not yet been ruled out that an ‘outsider’ assaulted the woman, despite the clinic being closed to visitors during the lockdown.
Police have been questioning doctors, nurses and other staff at the Oasi Maria SS (pictured), a specialist clinic and research institute in the province of Enna to discover what happened
It is not clear why the attack had not been reported before now.
The prosecutor’s office in Enna has opened a case on suspicion of sexual violence, ANSA reported.
It comes after dire figures were released on the levels of violence perpetrated against women during the world’s lockdowns.
A joint investigation by Panorama and Women’s Aid in the United Kingdom published in August, found that two-thirds of victims in abusive relationships suffered more during the pandemic.
In the first seven weeks of lockdown there was one domestic abuse call every 30 seconds and 75% of victims have also said the restrictions made it harder for them to get away from their attackers.
The figures were obtained from police forces under the Freedom of Information act.
