From the Youth of Scampia Voices against Crime
A presentation of the project Voices against Crime will take place at the Auditorium of Scampia on 6 May 2014. The project is carried out by UNICRI in cooperation with the Municipality of Naples, il Mattino and Fanpage.
Voices against Crime, enhanced by the collaboration of the Municipality of Naples and through the participation of numerous schools and non governamental organizations of the area, is based on victim involvement.
According to UNICRI’s Director, Jonathan Lucas, "The victims, the citizens who pay the price of injustice and violence, can be the main agents of change. It is through their experience and testimony that society must develop more effective actions to prevent crime and promote justice. Justice and the respect for human rights can be primarily strengthened through citizens. Today, the Scampia district, through its youth, can become a symbol of rebirth and freedom from fear.”
The meeting in Scampia wants to highlight the centrality of a district which bares the burden of negative rhetoric and prejudices, and at the same time aims to involve young people in a discussion on the issues of violence and crime. On that occasion Scampia will commemorate the lives of two young victims of the Mafia: Gianluca Cimminiello and Maurizio Estate.
The participants will include Annamaria Palmieri, Councilor for Schools and Education of the Municipality of Naples; Alessandra Clemente, Councilor for Youth of the Municipality of Naples; Rosario D'Uonno, the Education of Legality Sector of the Education Office of the Region Campania; Angelo Pisani, Chairman of the X Municipality; Valerio Mancini UNICRI; Francesco Piccinini, Director of Fanpage and Gino Sorbillo – one of the project’s testimonial. Worth noting is the presence of the important NGOs Sportelli donna Dream Team Donne in Rete, Le Kassandre, Maddalena; Libera; Fondazione Silvia Ruotolo; Coordinamento Familiari delle Vittime; Fondazione Polis; Cooperativa Sociale Dedalus; FAI – Federazione Antiracket italiana; and SoS Impresa.
The presentation in Scampia will also include the screening of the video message by Marco Maddaloni, the judo champion who has recently joined the Voices against Crime testimonials Gino Sorbillo and Clemente Russo.
According to the Mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, "The meeting in Scampia is an important opportunity to engage young people in our work. It is an opportunity to learn from our youth and to orient our actions towards their perspective. Young people are the future of Naples, a city that today is at the forefront in the fight against violence and social injustice."