This morning, Italian police put an end to a suspected system of systematic violence and unscrupulous neglect in care facilities. During a large-scale operation in the municipality of Pachino in Sicily, 16 people were arrested. The owners and employees of the two residential homes are accused of severely abusing defenceless elderly and disabled residents and depriving them of their freedom.
The investigation, coordinated by the Syracuse public prosecutor's office, was set in motion by tips from alert citizens about the catastrophic conditions. Months of undercover investigations, including telephone and room surveillance, confirmed the terrible suspicions. According to the Carabinieri, the evidence documents regular harassment and humiliation. The 20 residents are said to have been abused with slaps, punches and pushes and intimidated with insults and threats.
The case of a young woman with mental health problems who was confined to bed beyond what was therapeutically necessary is particularly harrowing. In this state, she was dependent on help even with basic needs such as eating or going to the toilet, which was often denied to her and met with further punishment.
The investigators suspect that the motive was pure greed. The operators cut corners massively in terms of building, hygiene and staffing conditions. Medication and even invasive therapies were administered by unqualified staff.
The police sealed a total of three facilities belonging to the cooperative responsible and placed the residents in secure accommodation. Different measures were imposed on the 16 accused, depending on the severity of the crime: from detention and house arrest to reporting requirements and a twelve-month ban on working.
