Try to imagine this :

A woman's only recourse

After being raped was to

Marry her rapist as a way

To 'restore her honor', as if

Being assaulted impacted

Her honor, her reputation,

Like any of it was her fault.

The law labelled it Matrimonio

Riparatore - rehabilitating marriage.

And this is not ancient history,

This was the law in Italy, in 1965,

And this particular law was

Finally abolished from the books

Only in 1981, 45 years ago.

A woman by the name of Franca Viola

Was abducted and sequestered for 8 days

By an ex-boyfriend who didn't accept that

She didn't want to be with him anymore.

During those 8 days, he assaulted her,

Telling her that the only way out of this

Was to marry him, and all would be forgiven.

He had the law on his side, he was confident

That she would submit to this only option.

She did not.  She refused and decided

To take legal action against him as there

Was no way in hell that she could accept

This as the only option for herself after

Such a horrific ordeal.  But the times

Being what they were, her community

Was up in arms about her decision,

Going as far as not talking to her or

Her family, shunning them and telling

Them she'd chosen the route of shame.

She was dubbed a disgrace to Sicilian

Traditions.  Their farmland was set ablaze

Out of retaliation, their family's name

Became a curse word in their community. 

No one accepted that she chose not to marry

Her rapist, that's not what women in those

Situations did, it was just unheard of.

But the victim insisted on pressing

Charges, and thankfully she was successful

In the end : the man received a sentence

Of eleven years in prison for what he'd done.

This case changed the legal landscape,

And more women refused the matrimonio

Riparatore from that point on.  Still, it took

Another fifteen years before the law was

Finally abolished.  How incredible is that?

A brave woman of seventeen years old

Said no to this option that wasn't one,

Despite the serious backlash it caused

Her and her family for not following the

'Tradition' in place for such situations.

I'm so glad she did, and I'm so glad it

Brought an end to this crazy law.

Can you imagine that?  Having to marry

Your rapist, all under the guise of restoring

Your honor?  And letting the perpetrator

Go free without consequences because he

'Restored your honor' by marrying you?

It's just unthinkable... completely insane

That this was deemed acceptable at all.