Protests break out about rape ruling

"If we go on like this, every woman that doesn't wear a chastity belt will have the 'right' to be raped," said Sonia Viale of Parliament's equal opportunities commission.

The Court of Cassation ruled Wednesday it is impossible to take off tight pants like jeans "without the cooperation of the person wearing them." Baggy jeans aren't popular in Italy, and many women prefer tight pants.

The decision overturned the 1998 conviction of a 45-year-old driving instructor in southern Italy, Carmine Cristiano, for raping an 18-year-old student. A lower court had sentenced Cristiano to two years and eight months in prison, but the appeals court said the girl must have consented to sex and sent the case back for retrial.

AP PHOTO Female members of the Italian Lower Chamber of Parliament protest a ruling regarding the potential to rape a women in jeans during a Parliament session in Rome yesterday.

"It could be seen as a manual for aspiring rapists," the Rome daily Il Messaggero fumed in a front-page story. "Jeans: An alibi for rape," read a sign held up in Parliament by five jeans-clad lawmakers.

Alessandra Mussolini, a deputy of the rightist National Alliance who led yesterday's protest, called the ruling "shameful" and said it "offends the dignity of women."

"Women are already scared of reporting rapes, this just makes it worse," she said.

Massimo D'Alema said he could not comment on the ruling as prime minister. But he said, as a private citizen, he expressed "solidarity" with the female lawmakers.

"We thank the court for having enriched women's wardrobes with a new garment. To the business suit and the little black dress, we can now add the anti-rape outfit: a comfortable and resistant pair of jeans," union official Stefania Sidoli said.

Although many were upset at the ruling, Federica Snider, a 17-year-old in Rome, understood the reasoning behind it.

"It's impossible to rape someone wearing jeans. You've got to really overpower them," she said.

The ruling also drew attention to the makeup of the appeals court, which has 10 female justices and 410 men.

"Nothing can be done. Justice in the court is in the hands of men, often elderly, with old ideas," a veteran female justice, Simonetta Sotgiu, told the newspaper La Repubblica.

02-12-99