Kicked out of the house for her identity. The investigation is now open.
This is the story of Malika Chalhy. Unfortunately, a story of discrimination. But of solidarity. Indeed, one young girl, two sides of Italy.
What happened
Malika Chalhy is 22 and she is lesbian. When she finally worked the courage to come out of the closet, her parent’s reactions shocked her. She poured her heart out in a letter, but not everyone understood. Especially her mother, she started insulting her.
“You suck, lesbian, if I see you I will kill you. You are ruining our family. I will cut the throat of your girlfriend.”
Hurt for her love. And by her own family. Instead of giving up, Malika went to the police to file a complaint. The investigators are focusing on the mother’s threats, recorded on the phone. Plus, the young girl went home to get her things and she found the locks changed. An action that is impossible to misunderstand. So, she walked away with nothing. Nothing but her pride and love.
Help Malika Chalhy: the solidarity
Yasmine Alti is Malika’s cousin. And she couldn’t just stand by and watch. In fact, Yasmine launched a Go Fund Me campaign, called “Help my cousin to build a future.” Her objective was 10,000 euro. In a little over a week, the funds have already reached almost 30,000. Indeed, a success.
As the cousin writes on the platform, “Malika’s fault? Being engaged to a woman and not the prince charming.” And her story resonated with many Italians, not only from the LGBTQ community.
Silvia De Tommaso gave 30 euro to the Go Fund Me campaign, leaving a comment. “Love isn’t a crime. It might just be the only thing that keeps us sane in this unstoppable world. Be strong and keep loving whoever makes you happy.”
The issue with the law
While the investigation is ongoing, the real issue is with the Italian law. In fact, the current regulations don’t take discrimination into account. There is no aggravating factor for hate crimes or ones with a discrimination factor.
The Zan Law would introduce this to the Italian penal code, but it’s stuck in the Parliament. Hence, if the investigation finds Malika’s family guilty, it might just be for threats or mistreatment. Not because she is lesbian. And, once again, hate will go unpunished.
Follow the latest updates on this story with Life in Italy.
It’s crazy the reaction of her mother, how can you kik your child out of the house like this for a sexual orientation
The cousin had a good initiative!