by VALERIA MARCHETTI
After months of recovery and receiving seven plastic surgeries to repair her face from the severe damage she received under acid violence, Lucia Annibali speaks to the crowd as a recipient of the Pesaro (Italy) Press Club Award. IMAGE/Fotoprint
(WNN) Rome, ITALY, WESTERN EUROPE: This story was born of tragedy but has ended in triumph as the rebirth of a special Italian women with personality and endless dignity wins in court. The drama that forever changed the life of 36-year-old former attorney, now active women’s advocate and rights activist, Lucia Annibali happened last autumn in Pesaro, Italy. In a one-on-one interview with WNN Lucia shared she will never forget what happened to her on September 17, 2013.
That was the day she was left partially blind with a facial disfigurement that changed her life and her face forever.
Acid crime is a form of virulent violence that is now on the rise in Italy, and throughout Europe. While a majority of its victims are women, men have also been targets. Injuries from a severe sulfuric acid attack often blind its victims. Sulfuric acid on the skin can also melt the skin down to the bone in 15 minutes or less if quick emergency intervention is not made in time.
Like many other women, Lucia Annibali was purposefully scared for life by someone she once loved.
When she first met Mr. Luca Varani, Lucia did not know her new work colleague, working with her as a fellow attorney, was a dangerous man. Eventually after time had passed this man would also become her stalker. Incredibly though Varani’s plan and successful brutal acid attack against Lucia did not fully succeed. On the contrary, a new and brightly shining level of self esteem for Lucia began the moment she realized the changes she experienced and continues to emerge today.
“In his plan I had to die but I live instead and I am stronger than before,” Lucia recently outlined during her interview.
Domestic violence and acid violence can often found and occur together. Despite new laws working to bring greater justice for women, Domestic violence in Italy continues to be pervasive. One in three women today are considered victims of domestic violence, outlines Italy’s national statistics agency ISTAT. In spite of this, some Italian police departments continue to ignore the important need to report comprehensive public data on the number of cases of violence against women in the region, especially domestic violence cases.
“National criminal justice statistics on domestic violence are not publicly available in Italy,” says the 2012 country report on Italy released by WAVE – Women Against Violence Europe, with a survey project supported by the European Commission and UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund, among other agencies. “As a result, there is no information available on whether any data collected is gender or age disaggregated, or shows evidence of relationship between victim and perpetrator.”
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