Reati sessuali e tutela dei minori: la prospettiva dei mezzi di informazione e quella dei giudici a confronto

[Autom. eng. transl.] In the sentence that is noted, issued in a case of sexual acts committed on a minor by the cohabitant of the mother, the Supreme Court affirmed that the attenuating circumstance of the less serious cases referred to in art. 609 quater of the Italian Criminal Code applicable to the crime in question must be carefully evaluated, with reference to the incidence that the offending conduct actually had on the harmonious development of the victim's sexual sphere. By reconstructing the story and the ways in which it was disseminated through the media, the author highlights how the current mass-media practice in the representation of crime normally operates distortions, both qualitative and quantitative. The decision is also a useful opportunity to focus attention on the needs of the child's protection, often exposed to abusive behavior, which take on a marked gravity when they occur in the family.