ROME — A disturbing “rape list” naming female students has surfaced in a second Rome high school, reigniting shock across Italy and intensifying debate over gender-based violence and the culture of sexism in schools.
The handwritten message, similar to one uncovered earlier this month in another Rome high school, was found in a student bathroom at Liceo Carducci on Via Asmara in Rome’s Africano neighbourhood.
The discovery follows a “rape list” that appeared at Liceo Giulio Cesare in late November, triggering widespread public outrage and prompting police and prosecutors to open investigations into the earlier case. In that incident, an apparent list with eight girls’ names followed by the chilling label “lista di stupri” (“rape list”) was posted in a boys’ bathroom, leading authorities to consider charges of istigazione a delinquere (incitement to commit a crime).
New Incident at Carducci High School
At Carducci, students and the Rete degli Studenti del Lazio reported two writings found on tiles in a third-floor bathroom. One of the inscriptions initially included the names of two girls — but the names were later erased by the authors with a marker, according to students.
Students from the Asmara Collective condemned the lists as not mere pranks but symptomatic of deeper cultural problems. “Once again, gender violence is being mocked, denigrated, or even worse, glorified,” the group said. They pointed to a broader pattern of offensive behaviour, including male students directing sexist insults at female classmates and even some teachers taking public stances against abortion and women’s workplace emancipation.
“These aren’t pranks, but symptoms of the patriarchal and chauvinistic society in which the so-called ‘good guys’ are born, grow up, and then settle,” the collective added. “We’re tired of being reduced to a list on a wall, as a joke or a threat.”
Students demand structural change
Bianca Piergentili, coordinator of the Rete studenti medi del Lazio, said the incidents revealed a wider failure by institutions to address sexual violence and its underlying causes. “The minister (Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara) talks about punishing the perpetrators, and the ‘manhunt’ has begun, but everyone is to blame,” she said. She continued, schools must introduce comprehensive sexual-emotional and consent education rather than focusing only on sanctions.
Her remarks reflect student frustration that authorities too often treat such episodes as isolated mischief rather than a social and educational problem requiring sustained cultural change.
Political Reaction
The shock has spilled into political debate, with some leaders calling for mandatory emotional and consent education in schools. Alessandra Mussolini of Fratelli d’Italia, for instance, described the trend as emblematic of a failure to teach young people empathy and respect, particularly towards women.
Authorities are taking the incidents seriously. In the earlier Giulio Cesare case, prosecutors from both the ordinary and juvenile courts opened inquiries into possible istigazione a delinquere finalizzata alla violenza sessuale — effectively, incitement to sexual violence — as investigators seek to identify those responsible.
