“It must be acknowledged that, in the context of allegations of mistreatment, women sometimes use the formal complaint as a strategic tool—a ‘crowbar,’ so to speak—to gain an advantage in separation proceedings. The major problem is that the true victims in these cases end up being the children. […] We are seeing an increasing number of instances of ‘post-separation stalking’: many complaints reach us regarding the following of individuals or harassing phone calls—actions that are often nothing more than a—perhaps clumsy—attempt by a father to see his child outside of school, simply because he has been denied his legitimate right of visitation. […] The picture that emerges from trials involving allegations of mistreatment and false claims of sexual abuse is truly alarming.” She cites the example of a grandmother who placed her grandchild in front of a camera to level accusations of abuse against the child’s estranged father.

Carmen Pugliese is the Deputy Prosecutor for the Family Crimes Division at the Court of Bergamo.