Anti-mafia heroines, dead and alive, celebrated on march 8
Calabria's mob wives and mothers, in the front lines
07 March, 20:35
(ANSA) - Catanzaro, March 7 - The southern Italian region
of Calabria may be the reign of the 'Ndrangheta mob, but it is
also the land of women who rebel against it, and the will be
remembered on International Women's Day.Some of the women who will be remembered on March 8 have already paid the ultimate price: Lea Garofalo, who flipped on her mobster husband Carlo Cosco and went to the police with details about numerous crimes. In revenge, Cosco kidnapped her from the center of Milan, killed her, and dissolved her body in acid with the help of his two brothers and Garofalo's ex-fiance'.
Also on this list of courageous Calabrian women is her daughter Denise Garofalo, now 20 and living under state protection for testifying against her mobster father in his trial for the abduction, torture and murder of her mother. Her evidence led to six life sentences, in spite of the fact that no body was recovered. Another is 'Ndrangheta wife, Maria Concetta Cacciola, who in August 2010, aged 31, drank a bottle of acid to escape the torture she was suffering at the hands of the mob family she had tried but failed to escape, leaving three young children.
Cacciola's cousin, Giuseppina Pesce, the daughter of clan boss Salvatore Pesce, also turned state's witness, even helping put some of her family members behind bars.
"These women were able to distance themselves from a certain cultural model of wife and mother. They disowned the logic of blind obedience and submission to the head of the clan, recovering their dignity as women and choosing a different future for their children. This is the model of womanhood I would like to dedicate tomorrow's holiday to", said anti-mafia prosecutor Ottavio Sferlazza. Other anti-mafia heroines are the lawmakers who face assassination attempts, threats and intimidation on a daily basis, simply for doing their jobs: among them are Rosarno mayor Elisabetta Tripodi, Monasterace mayor Maria Carmela Lanzetta, and Isola Capo Rizzuto mayor Carolina Girasole. "March 8 is when we think of all the women in Calabria who are raising a new consciousness in favor of legality. Women who are making certain choices, and are bringing about a new spring", said Tripodi. "The fact that so many women from all walks of life are rebelling proves that politicians have not understood this Calabria, which does want to react and grow", commented Lanzetta.
"In Calabria, doing the right thing is complicated. Over the years I've been intimidated and isolated. And finally, I was defamed", said Girasole.
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