As a private investigator I often repeat to the clients of my investigative agency Octopus not to grant last clarifying meetings to violent ex-partners, because most femicides happen in that circumstance.
After attending a final clarifying meeting with her ex-partner Costantino Bonaiuti, Martina Scialdone was killed at 34 years old by a shot fired at her point-blank by Bonaiuti.
I do not know how many warning signs of femicide there have been, but itās since I became a private investigator that I have been telling the clients of my investigative agency Octopus in Milan to not allow last meetings with violent ex-comrades and persecutors, because most femicides happen precisely in that circumstance.
Some time ago a client of my investigative agency Octopus in Bergamo let herself be convinced by her abusive ex-spouse at a last farewell meeting, but she had the good sense to tell me and to agree to be followed by a private investigator of the investigative agency Octopus, an expert in security and close protection, who avoided the worst.
Some blamed the staff of the restaurant Brado, where the two had dinner, arguing animatedly, before the tragic epilogue; the restaurateurs did not understand the seriousness of the situation even though they phoned the police. I believe that the police could have been more prompt, because it would have been their job to perceive the risks, even if through a phone call. I can’t even imagine the sense of guilt that is now gripping Martina’s brother, who, alerted by his sister, arrived too late. But here the first to sin of superficiality and optimism was the poor Martina.
Of course, this umpteenth femicide teaches us once again that potential victims may have a hope of getting out of such situations alive only if they love each other enough, defend themselves (with weapons, if necessary) and above all if they adopt the right strategy, because no Public Security apparatus, however efficient (let alone ours that is seriously deficient), will be able to defend women from themselves.
Therefore, waiting for a proper re-education of the male that could give its first fruits between centuries of evolution, let us see (repetita iuvant) the steps to follow to curb the fury of a violent ex-companion:
- Make oneself unreachable and practice counter-surveillance to stop the persecutory initiatives of the ex-companion.
- Denounce your persecutor to the authorities, but expect the denunciation to trigger violence. Therefore, āarmā and prepare for confrontation.
- Do not consent to any meeting of pacification or reconciliation.
- Rely only on themselves, because the forces of law and order lack preparation and diligence, but even if they were super-efficient they could not be everywhere instantly.