No Excuse For Violence And Abuse: Activists To Remember 16 Women Murdered By Partners In Valletta Tonight
Activists will be remembering 16 women who were killed by their partners in Malta since 2010 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women this evening.
The demonstration was due to be held yesterday but was postponed till today because of the bad weather.
The event is being organised by Moviment Graffitti, the Women’s Rights Foundation and Young Progressive Beings, to remember those women who were “murdered by their partners, boyfriends or husbands since 2010 in Malta, 16 women who have been victims of the ultimate form of violence – murder”.
Activists will be meeting outside the law courts at 5.30pm this evening and have invited members of the public to join.
While awareness has increased in Malta, domestic violence remains a big social problem.
Figures tabled in Parliament last month show 74 cases in 2019 and 62 in 2020 which saw victims – predominantly women – ending up at Mater Dei’s emergency department.
Malta’s new specialised Domestic Violence Unit receives about five reports per day.
Still, more than 96% of domestic violence cases in Malta have failed to result in convictions. There could be several reasons for this, including victims refusing to testify against their aggressor, or even withdrawing their complaint.
However, much more still needs to be done for Maltese authorities to effectively tackle the problem.
Will you be attending tonight’s demonstration?
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