544

544 is inspired by the story of Franca Viola, a reserved girl who lived in a small village in Sicily with her mother, father, and younger brother. In December 1965, 13 men including her ex-boyfriend burst into her home, beating her mother and abducting Franca and her little brother.

The little brother would be released after two days while Franca remained a prisoner for 10 days, suffering violence and rape. Her virginity had been given to a rapist: an abuse that would have been, by law and tradition, a mark of ownership that freed the ex-boyfriend from any crime thanks to article 544.

Franca, supported by her father, said no. The two of them against everyone. No testimony in their favor. Absolute omertà. This time not in favor of the mafia, but to protect an entire system – an entire state.

Article 544 of the civil code regulated the so-called "repairing marriage." Women were equated to male property, particularly in cases of so-called "crimes against public morality," such as sexual violence. In these cases, it was not the victim who was protected, but rather the social good manners, which had to be safeguarded even at the cost of the freedom of choice of women who had suffered violence.

The repairing marriage represented, until its abolition in 1981, a way out for those who had committed rape. Many probably thought that this article was created to be repealed, but no one had the courage to denounce it as it was part of a deeply rooted culture accepted by everyone.

This text aims to shake, heal, and dismantle a mentality that seems linked to the past but actually lives in our present. It is time to believe in change, to embrace frustration as an opportunity, and to actively support those who are victims of violence.