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We just adore a classic mafia flick or TV show, but seldom do we think of the real-life Mafia families, specifically the children, embroiled within generations of crime. What happens to the kids who don’t want to spend the rest of their lives worrying they may be “sleepin’ with the fishes” if they don’t toe the line?

Claudia Caramanna, a public prosecutor for the juvenile court of Palermo, Italy, is one of the people embarking on a challenging mission to protect kids from the influence of organised crime, primarily focusing on the children of Mafia bosses and drug traffickers.

The scary reality though, is that this mission that has made her the target of enraged Mafia clans.

Caramanna’s efforts sometimes involve asking for children to be removed from their criminal families and placed in care homes. This intervention is a last resort, pursued only when there are no other viable options to ensure the kid’s safety.

“We don’t take this decision lightly… It only happens in unavoidable situations, such as when a parent is a drug dealer, and the child becomes involved [in the crime].”

In Italy, organised crime, often referred to as “the Mafia”, as many may know from popular culture, encompasses various criminal clans such as the ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria, Camorra in Campania and Cosa Nostra in Sicily. In this world, parents play a significant role in transmitting Mafia culture and values, including the code of silence known as omertà. Sons may be expected to follow in their fathers’ footsteps, while daughters are often encouraged to marry into other Mafia families to strengthen alliances. That’s a hardcore ‘inheritance’ to be expected to take on.

Franco Nicastro, a journalist in Sicily who has extensively covered Mafia culture, has explained that Mafia involvement is not limited to adults. I guess the assumption is not helped by the fact that there is no ‘The Godson’ movie.

“There is a myth that the Mafia does not involve women or children, but it’s not like this. Children are prepared for a criminal life; it’s part of their upbringing.”

Dropping out of school is a particular concern for children who grow up this way, as many of these adolescents become involved in criminal activities like drug dealing. Some individuals are even drawn to the predictability of the Mafia lifestyle, with its predetermined roles and tight-knit familial and social networks. When positioned as ‘squad goals’, it can be an enticing lifestyle.

Ombretta Ingrascì, a researcher at the University of Milan specialising in the sociology of organised crime families, has also drawn attention to the challenges faced by women who want to escape these environments. They often encounter obstacles similar to those faced by other abuse victims and may require access to women’s services and trust in the state.

That being said, many of those who are raised in Mafia culture struggle to envision an alternative life. Ingrascì notes that they perceive their criminal family background as normal. Breaking free from this mindset can be extraordinarily difficult, and those who wish to leave may face threats of violence or death.

According to Italian law, a child can be separated from their family when there is strong evidence that parents are failing to provide appropriate care and education, and this legal basis was used to establish the Liberi di Scegliere (Free to Choose) project in Calabria, which aims to give children the chance of redemption.

The project carefully evaluates each case, considering factors such as the parent’s willingness to reform and encompasses a tribunal that aims to place children with non-Mafia relatives and provide them with psychological and educational support to steer them toward a better path.

Caramanna’s work in Palermo follows a similar approach, seeing child-parent separation is a last resort. Whenever possible, they offer mothers the support and security to leave with their child. Even if a child is removed from the family home, parents are often granted visiting rights, provided that the child consents to see them. Decisions can be reversed if parents sever their Mafia ties. Caramanna stresses that children have the right to be with their families, but up to a certain point that takes their holistic well-being into consideration.

“Every child has the right to live in their nuclear family unless that conflicts with the right to grow up physically and psychologically healthy.”

Despite the challenges and controversy surrounding these initiatives, many children entangled in this world of violence of crime have been given a second lease on life with the help of hard-working community leaders like Caramanna.

In a sense, it’s a positive swing on an “offer that they can’t refuse”. Capiche? 

[source:bbc]