Decision of the Judge for preliminary hearing of the Court of Rome No. 266 of 20 September 2016

The Judge for preliminary hearing of the Rome Court convicted a man accused of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation to the prejudice of minors, a special offense introduced into the Italian criminal code by Article 600 bis in application of the Lanzarote Convention.  With regard to non-pecuniary damage, the Judge decided that monetary compensation was inadequate to protect the human dignity of the victim, a young girl of less than 16 years, as required under both the Italian Constitution and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Compensation was to be paid, rather, by the author of the crime through providing the girl with books and movies dealing with the history of women and gender issues, in order to help her overcoming her traumatic experience and recovering self-respect.