Meloni’s government approves crackdown on juvenile crime after a spate of rapes, youth criminality

ROME (AP) — The right-wing government of Premier Giorgia Meloni has approved a decree to crack down on juvenile delinquency, allowing children as young as six to be arrested. The decree follows a spate of high-profile “baby gang” crimes that have dominated headlines this summer. The decree was adopted by the Cabinet a week after Meloni visited a crime-infested Naples suburb where two girls were allegedly raped repeatedly by local youths. During the visit, Meloni promised to improve safety in the town of Caivano and to rehabilitate an abandoned, rundown sports complex where some of the alleged rapes occurred.