Italians Disturbed by Videos Shared After Groping Ruling

“Palpata breve,” which translates to “a brief groping,” and the trending hashtag #10secondi have taken social media by storm in Italy following the acquittal of a school janitor accused of groping a 17-year-old girl. The teenager, a student at a high school in Rome, alleged that the man had slipped his hand inside her underwear from behind and touched her inappropriately as she was ascending a staircase between classes. However, the judges cleared 66-year-old Antonio Avola of sexual assault, stating that the groping incident “only lasted about ten seconds” and his hand did not remain in contact for an extended period, according to a report by the BBC.

Despite the girl’s account being supported by witnesses, Avola claimed that it was merely a joke when confronted. The judges found his excuse to be “convincing,” which deeply upset the girl. In response to the acquittal, she expressed her anger, saying, “For me, it was no joke. A joke is something shared between two people,” as reported by the Telegraph. She further criticized the janitor, stating, “This is not the way that a janitor should joke around with a young girl of 17. I’m very angry. This is not justice. I feel betrayed twice over—first by the school, where it happened, and now by the court.”

To protest against this ruling and shed light on the larger issue of sexual harassment in Italy, numerous individuals, including actor Paolo Camilli from White Lotus, have shared videos on Instagram and TikTok. These videos depict people staring into the camera while silently touching themselves for 10 seconds. Although these videos may be uncomfortable to watch, their purpose is to illustrate how long 10 seconds can truly feel, as mentioned in the BBC report. (Read more Italy stories.)