Their son took his own life; they are seeking compensation from the Ministry: they want the truth to be established and those responsible held to account

His 15-year-old son took his own life on 14 October 2024 in a country cottage in Senigallia (Ancona): Leonardo Calcina’s parents have now brought a civil action, through their solicitor Pia Perricci, against the Ministry of Education to seek compensation for damages: they claim that the school failed to intervene despite the fact that the alleged bullying and humiliation suffered by the boy were “known to, or at least could have been known to, the school”.

For the past year and a half, Leo’s parents, Francesco Calcina and Viktorya Ramanenka, have been trying to find out the real reasons that led him to take his own life. According to the family, this act was linked to incidents of bullying that allegedly took place at a local vocational college a month after the start of the school year. This has led to the lawsuit being brought against the Ministry.

The initiative is not based solely on a lack of supervision; according to the family, “adequate measures for prevention, supervision and protection were not put in place”. On the criminal front, the parents, through their lawyer, have opposed the request to dismiss the case: the investigating judge at the Ancona Juvenile Court has ordered further technical investigations and the seizure of the mobile phones of the young people involved; investigators are searching, including in chat histories and social media profiles, for messages or other evidence that might confirm the allegation of bullying and incitement to suicide.

On the evening of 13 October 2024, the young man left home after tampering with the CCTV system and taking his father’s gun – his father being a local police officer. It was his father who raised the alarm: it was thought that Leo wanted to take revenge for the bullying he had suffered, and the schools were alerted. After hours of searching, the young man was found dead the following day, having taken his own life. The family, through their lawyer, wish to “ascertain who is responsible, shed full light on what happened and help ensure that such tragedies never happen again. School must be a place of growth, inclusion and safety for every pupil”.

Leo’s parents and their solicitor have tabled a citizens’ bill to introduce a unified framework for the offence of bullying: the bill provides for immediate and effective protective measures for victims, and aims to introduce measures for the rehabilitation and social reintegration of bullies, through educational and rehabilitative programmes that also involve the family unit.