Italians ban religious prozelityzing...

"Proposed Italian "Mental
Manipulation Law" Violates
Declaration Of Human Rights

On March 4th, 2004, the Italian Senate's Justice Commission unanimously approved a proposed law introducing "mental manipulation" as a crime. Jail would await any individual convicted of using "personality conditioning or suggestion techniques, capable of excluding or greatly limiting the capacity to make free choices."

Likewise, a group "practicing or sponsoring activities aimed at creating or exploiting the physical or psychological dependence of members" would face strict penalties.

While the term "brainwashing" is not used in the law itself, the sponsoring legislator has made comments indicating that "cults" are an intended target, and a suspicious lack of publicity has led to a comment published by the Center for Studies on New Religions that "the promotion and the approval (of the draft law) by the Senate's Justice Commission have been almost clandestine."

Unlike in France, there has been no media campaign celebrating this new law. The center commented, "This is perhaps a strategy in order to avoid national and international reactions."
"

http://www.humanrightsandtolerance.org/

husbands who browbeat and control their wives? Fundamentalist Christians trying to convert others via public institutions like schools?

As much as I don't advocate mental abuse and bullying, I think this law is flawed as it violates free speech rights.

There are other laws to protect the public, such as kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault & battery. These protections are in place were an individual held against his/her own will, withheld food and sleep until his/her views changed to those of his/her host ("captor").

This is the first time I've heard of a law that prosecutes for the injury of the domination of free will and choice.

Women never browbeat their husbands.

and controlled by their wives. Two have been physically attacked by their wives, one resulting in a punctured eardrum.

Men in this situation are ashamed to call the police or tell their families. I'm not going to compare their situation to wives are have their brains beaten on a regular basis by their husbands; it's apples and oranges.

Please discuss whether mental domination should be prosecuted. I honestly want to know what you think.

one thing I do know if people are dumb enough to stay in relationships where it does happen, with either sex, I don't feel sorry for them.

marriage wherein you theoretically can leave whenever you've had "enough". But considerations involuntarily tie you to an unsavory and dangerous situation, so you don't leave.

Mental cruelty is addressed in divorce law. Why should it be a crime worthy of prosecution, fine and/or imprisonment? That's what I want to know.

life, the state can't protect you from everything. to give the state that amount of power to interfere in your personal life would be intolerable.

on the intolerable part.

It manot be a "crime," But it may be considered child abuse. Tough case to make. I hate to work with codependence.