Self‑harm incidents reported among children in Vasto protective facility

In a protected residential facility in Vasto, Abruzzo, one of three children from the so‑called “family in the woods” has repeatedly bitten his own hands, causing minor injuries. Specialists monitoring the minors describe the behavior as a non‑verbal expression of intense inner distress.

Earlier, psychiatrist Tonino Cantelmi and psychologist Martina Aiello, consultants for the Anglo‑Australian couple Trevallion‑Birmingham, had already highlighted signs of significant psychological suffering in the children. The experts linked the distress to the trauma of separation from their original family environment and the abrupt shift from an isolated, quasi‑tribal lifestyle to a structured institutional setting, compounded by ongoing legal tensions.

The case remains complex, with no definitive conclusions, and underscores the challenges of assessing and supporting vulnerable minors in protective care.