Caivano, in the north area of Naples, unfortunately made headlines after the violence suffered by two girls aged 11 and 12 by a group of colleagues in Parque Verde. The Mezzogiorno, with all its strengths and weaknesses, is once again the subject of discussion. Criticisms that everyone knows but that few have managed to resolve. Il Tempo interviewed the president of Azione Mara Carfagna, former minister of the South, to find out her opinion on the matter.
Honorable Carfagna, you are a woman from the South and you were also a minister of the South. In your opinion, why do we return cyclically to discussing critical issues in some areas without ever really managing to make an impact?
“Because for decades there were no resources or political will to face the issue of inequality in access to constitutional rights to security, work, education. The Pnrr is an unrepeatable opportunity to start the redevelopment of many Italian suburbs and I hope that the much-announced Pnrr redevelopment does not cancel interventions but adds new ones”.
In the South, early school leaving is 15.1%, while in the North it is 11.5%. In your opinion, why does this disparity still exist?
«On the one hand, there is a lack of full-time, canteens, gyms, school transport, support for the most vulnerable. On the other hand, the poverty of families acts, which inflates child labor and distances them from education”.
After the violence in Caivano and Palermo, many took aim at young people and the role of social media. What is your opinion on the matter?
“I am convinced that social networks should be prohibited for children under 13 and open to children aged between 13 and 15 only with parental consent. With Action we presented a very effective bill, inspired by a law passed in France. I read that the government agrees: act accordingly, we will support you”.
It shares the work of President Meloni who presented two types of interventions: one within the scope of the employment profile, offering job opportunities to young people, and another within the scope of the cultural profile with Agenda Sud and the allocation of Minister Sangiuliano who earned 12 million euros in three years for a library, a multimedia and reading room that can be placed inside the Delphinia center so that it becomes a multifunctional centre?
«For the love of God, everything can be shared, everything is important. But first of all, the projects already launched and funded by the Draghi government should be based, in my opinion, precisely in that area. I’m talking about the Caivano video surveillance system, already available for more than one million euros; social cohesion interventions, the Urban Regeneration Factory, the recovery and relaunch of Teatro Caivano Arte, plus 3.6 billion invested in programs already defined; the hiring of 8 social workers made possible by Lep’s social workers; of new vacancies in kindergartens for which we have allocated around 5 million until 2027 and of more than one hundred thousand euros destined to finance the school transport service for students with disabilities. Meloni asks his ministers to account for these interventions: it seems to me that they are paralyzed, I hope I am wrong ».
Every educational intervention needs a lot of time, what could be done immediately?
«The interventions I have listed are “immediate” because they have already been planned, approved and financed in agreement with the territory. In addition, there is Cis Terra dei Fuochi, a €200 million plan to change the fate of the affected area, which also includes Caivano: I signed it in 2022 with 52 mayors of the area. It must be grounded. The state, not the Draghi government, has made a strong commitment. Now it is necessary to demonstrate that the State respects its promises, regardless of who governs».
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
