My daughter Cécile had climbed the steps all the way up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. She smiled for the camera, but you can tell she didn't feel so safe close to the tilted edge.
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The Language Of Femicide, When Euphemisms Are Not So Symbolic
In the wake of Giulia Cecchettin's death, our Naples-based Dottoré remembers one of her old patients, a victim of domestic abuse.
A mural of a woman's face in Naples
As Italy continues to follow the case of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin, murdered by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta, language has surfaced as an essential tool in the fight against gender violence. Recently, Turetta's father spoke to the press and used a common Italian saying to try and explain his son's actions: "Gli è saltato un embolo", translating directly as "he got a blood clot" — meaning "it was a sudden flash of anger, he was not himself."
Maria was a victim of systemic violence from her husband.
Every time she came in for a visit and told me about the abuse, I tried to encourage her to report him. But then she would begin to find excuses for him.
The last time I saw her, she had a large bruise on her forehead.
She said to me, "Dottoré, he got a blood clot and rained blows on me."
The next day, Maria passed away.
An actual cerebral embolism led to the interruption of blood flow to a specific area of the brain.
But in the narrative of violence against women, this much-referenced medical condition has bizarre consequences: The man who experiences it always escapes unscathed, while the woman by their side almost always dies.
Learn more about Worldcrunch's exclusive Dottoré! series here.