When the mother was pregnant, they allegedly hid her HIV status from everyone. Then, after giving birth in 2017, they allegedly did nothing to determine whether the disease had been passed on to her daughter . Not only that, they didn't treat the child, nor did they vaccinate her or take her to a pediatrician until she was almost six years old, by which time the little girl had contracted serious infections, in addition to AIDS .
Afterward, they continued to resist doctors, obstructing assistance and the administration of medications. For this reason , two parents are on trial in Bologna for aggravated child abuse, leaving their daughter hospitalized for a year, her life in danger .
The serious condition of the little girl, who now attends a school in the province and lives in a foster home with her mother, came to light thanks to a pediatrician the couple finally decided to consult in July 2023: the little girl had been suffering from a fever and a persistent cough for weeks. The doctor, a substitute for the regular pediatrician, realized that after her birth in Spain, the choice of doctor had only been made in November 2022, but the baby had never been examined.
She was walking poorly, malnourished, had poor teeth, was showing poor growth, and was still in diapers . The pediatrician then informed the parents that she needed urgent hospitalization, but they trivialized the situation, saying they were against it. At that point, the doctor warned them that if they didn't take her to the hospital, she would notify the police. She did so shortly thereafter, given the seriousness of the situation and the couple's attitude.
The little girl was admitted to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna and tests led to the diagnosis of an advanced HIV infection : even in that case the parents continued to say nothing about their mother's illness and then admitted that they had given birth to their daughter outside of a healthcare facility, to avoid checks and vaccination requirements .
Reports were then issued, with the Prosecutor's Office initiating criminal proceedings for aggravated mistreatment resulting in very serious injuries (the charges in court are being supported by Prosecutor Nicola Scalabrini) and proceedings before the Juvenile Court, which in September 2023 appointed a guardian, now a civil plaintiff, on behalf of the child, assisted by the lawyer Sabrina Di Giampietro. The parents' parental capacity is still being reviewed by the juvenile courts. The preliminary hearing is ongoing, and the two defendants are being represented by the lawyer Pasqualino Miraglia. The next hearing is on May 18.
