Naples, the mother of Patrizio Spasiano, who died at work: "Do not forget my son"

Napoli – A moving and desperate request resounds within the walls of the Maschio Angioino. “My son, as always, has been forgotten.”

These are the words of Simona Esposito, mother of Patrizio Spasiano, the boy from Secondigliano who tragically died at just 19 years old on 10 January, victim of an ammonia leak in the Frigocaserta company in Gricignano d'Aversa, where he was doing an internship. Patrizio is yet another young life shattered by a job that, as his mother points out, “was not his place and his role”.

Today, while the City Council of Naples was meeting for a monothematic session on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a commemoration for the 19-year-old was scheduled, but it did not take place. Despite this, Mayor Gaetano Manfredi met with the boy's family on the sidelines of the meeting, listening to their appeal.

“I asked the mayor to remember my son, as he promised, through a commemoration so that Patrizio can become a symbol of this city,” explained Simona Esposito.

The mother painted the portrait of an honest young man, raised in a difficult neighborhood like the Berlingieri district of Secondigliano, "a good boy" who got up at 6 in the morning for an internship worth 500 euros a month, with the hope of learning a trade. "He was killed without mercy," she added with pain, highlighting the precariousness and risks often underestimated in the world of work.

Simona Esposito asked Mayor Manfredi for concrete commitments: the Municipality to become a civil party in the trial regarding the death of the 19-year-old, the creation of a mural in his memory and a commitment to have Patrizio's story told in schools, to raise awareness among young people about the dangers and lack of safety controls at work.

“There are no controls,” the mother reiterated, launching a heartfelt appeal to the kids, especially the trainees: “Say no, unlike what my son did: you must not accept any conditions, not the exploitation, not the risks.

This is my mission, I hope to save other families, I hope that Patrizio becomes a symbol to save other kids. When I saw him the last time I promised him that I would do everything so that he would not be forgotten”.

The story of Patrizio Spasiano adds to the long and tragic list of workplace deaths that has continued to grow since the beginning of the year in Italy, reigniting the debate on the need for greater protection and controls to guarantee the safety of workers, especially the youngest and most vulnerable.