The couple bought a farmhouse in the mountainous Abruzzo region in 2021 and were raising their children without mains electricity, water or gas, relying instead on solar power, well water and home-grown food. The children are homeschooled and have little or no opportunity to mix with other youngsters.
“The members of the Trevallion family have no social interactions, no steady income, there are no sanitary facilities in the dwelling, and the children do not attend school,” the juvenile court said in its written ruling.
Trevallion’s situation came to the attention of the police last year, when the whole family was hospitalised after they ate poisonous mushrooms. “Since then, it has been a nightmare,” said Trevallion, a chef by training.
Petition to reverse the decision
The case has sparked intense debate in Italy over alternative lifestyles, and more than 13,000 people have signed an online petition backing the family.
The conservative Pro Vita & Famiglia group also accused the court of overstepping the mark.
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“The state and social services must intervene only in the presence of proven abuse, mistreatment or neglect, not to punish lifestyles that do not fall within the dominant standard,” group spokesperson Jacopo Coghe said.
But Rocco Maruotti, secretary general of the national association of magistrates, told the Telegraph that the court had listed its reasons for removing the children in exacting detail.
“You need to read it first, before you blindly criticise it,” he said.
The family’s lawyer, Giovanni Angelucci, is reportedly preparing an appeal against the removal order.
Reuters
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