Watch: ‘I Was Terrified I Was Living The Last Minutes Of My Life’ – Emma Agius On The SHE Word Young Women And Consent
In the latest episode of The SHE Word: Young Women’s Edition, the conversation turned to a topic that continues to plague society—consent.
As shocking statistics reveal that only 0.5% of rape cases in the EU lead to conviction, the discussion highlighted how the justice system often fails victims and survivors of sexual violence.
Host Sasha Vella led an emotional and powerful conversation with guests Emma Agius, Antonella Bugeja, and Mel McElhatton, focusing on the misunderstood and legally unprotected concept of consent.
In one the rawest moments of the episode, Emma Agius bravely shared her own harrowing experience as a rape survivor and the ongoing battle against the Maltese legal system.
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“I was terrified I was living the last minutes of my life,” Emma shared in one chilling moment.
She described the pain of being forced to relive her trauma through a legal system that didn’t acknowledge her suffering. In Emma’s case. the magistrate ruled there was no abuse or rape and she is currently appealing the ruling.
“Sometimes I wish that he did kill me because maybe then the magistrate would have ruled out that there was abuse,” Emma stated, confronting the painful reality that justice is often out of reach for many survivors.
As Emma recounts her experience of seeking justice in a court system that failed to protect her, she also touches on the toll this ongoing battle has had on her mental health.
“I had to go back to Mount Carmel because of the PTSD… I wanted to kill myself because of the PTSD that he put me through.”
The episode dives deeper into the issue of consent, not just as a simple “yes” or “no” but as a broader conversation about autonomy, boundaries, and respect.
Emma, Antonella and Mel all agree that consent must be better understood and that there needs to be systemic change to protect survivors.
Malta remains one of the few EU countries that does not define rape based on a lack of consent, a fact that directly contributes to the underreporting of sexual violence and the lack of convictions.
This episode calls for an urgent shift in the way sexual violence is handled by the legal system, society and through education.
This episode is a must-watch for every young woman and man who needs to understand the true meaning of consent and the crucial role we all play in creating a safer society.
For those affected by the topics discussed in the show, help is available.
Contact the Richmond Foundation on 1770 or +356 21 224580, Olli Chat: https://olli.chat/, or Victim Support Malta on +356 2122 8333, [email protected].
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