Content warning: Contains mentions of sexual assault and rape.
Megan Ioannides
Italian media personality and partner of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Andrea Giambruno, has come under fire for comments suggesting that women could avoid being raped by not getting “too drunk”.
Andrea Giambruno’s statements only go to show how present victim blaming still is in modern society.
What did Andrea Giambruno say?
Giambruno, host of ‘Diario del giorno’ (The Daily Diary), was discussing recent gang rape cases near Naples on the show when the controversial comments were made. When addressing the high-profile cases, the host and his male guests were condemning the rapists and referring to them as “wolves.”
“If you avoid getting drunk and losing your senses, you might also avoid trouble or coming across a wolf”, Giambruno said shortly after. His statement suggests that, women in particular, should avoid intoxication in order to avoid being sexually assaulted.
“Her silence on the matter thus far has been met with disappointment.”
His comments have been met with significant backlash from the PM’s political opposition. Criticism has come from Cecilia D’Elia, of the Partito Democratico. “I say to Giambruno that boys should be educated to show respect, rather than girls taught to be careful,” she voiced.
The 5 Star Movement Party also released a statement. They labelled Giambruno’s words as “shameful” and representing a “male-dominated and retrograde culture.”
The event has now also reached international audiences.
The Italian PM has not yet responded
Prime Minister Meloni, who shares a seven-year-old daughter with Giambruno is yet to comment. She has been encouraged by her opposition to condemn or at least distance herself from the statements made by her partner. The PM herself faced backlash just last year for sharing a pixelated video of a women being sexually assaulted. She also used the incident as propaganda, to spark anti-asylum seeker sentiments.
Her silence on the matter thus far has been met with disappointment.
It is also not the first time her partner has faced backlash. Only a few months ago did Giambruno provoke German Minister Karl Lauterbach and viewers of his show for his seeming denial of the existence of climate change.
Andrea Giambruno, Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni's partner, is accused of victim blaming for comments made about rape
'It's not a comment that would have been accepted in the vast majority of Western democracies, but it's not such an uncommon view in Italy,' @annamomi says pic.twitter.com/8fh8lGFBRe
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 30, 2023
Giambruno has since defended himself against the victim blaming comments, claiming that his words were taken out of context. “I said rape is an abominable act…I never said that men are entitled to rape drunk women,” he claimed. The host emphasised that his statements were to dissuade young people from drinking excessively or taking drugs.
However, even if his message was somehow well intentioned, his comments have highlighted the extreme level of victim blaming still present in many mindsets. Critics have emphasised that they further add to a dangerous and misogynistic rape culture that sees victims vilified for voicing their experiences.
As put by D’Elia, “If a girl drinks too much, she can expect a headache, not a rape.”
As calls on Meloni continue, they are still currently met with silence.
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Featured image courtesy of Markus Spiske on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
