Former Labour Minister Evarist Bartolo shared a touching and reflective story earlier this morning about a chance encounter that brought the devastating reality of domestic violence into sharp focus.

Writing on social media, Bartolo recounted an emotional conversation with a shop assistant that left him reflecting on the silent suffering many endure and the systemic failures that fail to protect victims.

Bartolo described visiting a regular shop and being greeted by the usual cheerful woman behind the counter. Her eyes sparkled as she attended to customers with her characteristic warmth. A colleague entered and teasingly said to her, “Congratulations, grandmother.”

Realising she had just become a grandmother, Bartolo offered his congratulations, saying, “Becoming a grandmother must be a wonderful experience.” Her response, however, took a somber turn.

“After the storm comes the calm,” she said quietly. Fighting back tears, she revealed that her sister had been murdered by a partner she did not know had a violent and criminal past.

The woman recounted how her sister had reported threats and violence to the police and sought help from authorities and organisations meant to protect victims. But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Neither protection nor assistance came, and the consequences proved to be fatal.

Bartolo wrote about the silence that followed her words in the shop. Everyone present listened, stunned and sorrowful, as the woman shared her pain.

“I told her, ‘I know I can’t lessen your pain. I’m so sorry.’ I left the shop feeling confused and reflecting on how we encounter people burdened with grief without ever realising it,” he wrote.

Bartolo lamented the number of people suffering in silence, unable to find the support they desperately need.