Local Lawyer And Activist Calls Out Politicians For Society’s Deep-Rooted Misogyny
Local lawyer and activist, Lara Dimitrejivic, has taken to social media to express her concern about “two upsetting news items” that took place in Malta recently.
The first incident, which took place last Saturday, involved two young girls, 12 and 15, who were stabbed by a man in Bormla. According to TVM, the aggressor was none other than their mother’s partner. A 14-year-old boy was also present at the scene, and while reported not to have serious injuries like the girls, suffered from shock.
“There is only so much individuals and NGO’s that work in the field of gender-based violence and gender equality can do. Our power to change things in a meaningful and permanent way is limited,” stated the lawyer.
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The Malta Women’s Lobby also spoke out on the matter, stating that the perpetrator had done this before, and was brought before the court for threatening both his partner and her daughter. What is “alarming” is that because of the “victims’ understandable fear and reluctance to testify against him, the accused was freed from all accusations.”
They further urge for support systems to protect victims as well as a legal framework to hold perpetrators accountable, even if victims refuse to testify. As a result, they insist on a victim-centred approach which “should not depend on the testimony of the victim alone to proceed with the case.”
Dimitrejovic then went on to express her despair upon discussing how society reacted to another recent case, a 14-year-old girl who was infected with an STI from a 20-year-old man. The activist stated the comment section was truly worrying, and shows how “deep rooted the problem is in our society”.
She called to Malta’s elected officials, who could implement measures to better the system and create long-term change. Politicians possess the power to inflict this change, stated Dimitrejovic, but misogyny and violence continue to reign because they do not.
“What we get is a patchwork of laws, even bigger mess of policies and chaos and resistance in implementation, not to mention occasional swing backwards,” she highlighted.
What do you think of these cases?