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IN PHOTOS: Scores Flock To Valletta For Women’s Day March Against Gender-Based Violence

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International Women’s Day came to a close yesterday with a march down Valletta’s Republic Street. Brandishing numerous banners and posters (along with a couple of flags), a number of participants took the opportunity to raise their voices against violence on women.

“It was important for us to organise a march on this day in solidarity with the numerous other marches happening elsewhere,” Karen Tanti from Moviment Graffitti said. “We wanted to highlight and bring attention to the struggles that women face everywhere. All around the world, women are marching to raise their voice against the violence that women face, and here today we are doing the same, together with other organisations, coming together as one force with the same vision in mind; that of making our world a better place for women.”

Yesterday’s initiative actually saw a great number of organisations come together. The march was organised by Moviment Graffitti, Gender Equality Malta, Men Against Violence, Women’s Rights Foundation, and Integra Foundation, but it was also supported and endorsed by a number of other organisations.

The Department of Gender Studies, Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), aditus Foundation, Żminijietna – Voice of the Left, Gay-Straight Alliance MCAST (GSAM), the Association for Equality (A4E), Dar Merħba Bik, GWU Youths and SOAR Malta all participated in and supported the march, which saw banners and flags being waved from Valletta’s City Gate all the way down to the lower parts of the city, where an informal after-party at Maori concluded the evening.

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“In Europe, one in three women experience physical and/or sexual violence by a current or previous partner,” Karen said. “In Malta, 15 women have been killed by partners or ex-partners in the last 10 years. This is why we cannot celebrate International Women’s Day, but rather, we see the need to speak up, keep fighting, and build new solidarity networks with all women, individuals, and organisations that refuse to tolerate abuse against women.”

And while current efforts to strengthen Maltese legislation protecting victims of gender-based violence was positively noted, the congregation recognised that there was definitely more to be done. “There is an underlying culture of misogyny, which works through all of us; our institutions, our culture, which must be broken if we are to move forward,” Tanti said.

“We must also highlight the difficulties that Maltese women face as mothers and workers,” Tanti continued. “In a society where rent and property prices have soared, together with low wages and the high cost of living, single mothers and women with abusive partners find it harder to build an independent living. Specific difficulties are also faced by trans women, as well as migrant women, who often lead precarious lives with heavy financial burdens apart from the risk of violence and abuse.”

The takeaway here was definitely that of extending such awareness to beyond simply one annual march. “We have to do something now if we wish that the younger generation is to grow up in a better Malta where any form of gender-based abuse will no longer form part of our lives,” Karen said. “Everyone can do something. Let’s start by not tolerating sexism in our daily life.”

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Share this post if you agree with the message behind last night’s march!

Meanwhile, not everyone saw eye-to-eye with yesterday’s march organisers, with some women even boycotting the event altogether. Read all about it here.

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).

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