Robert Abela Explains Why Femicide Being Criminalised Although Men’s And Women’s Lives Have ‘Equal Value’
Prime Minister Robert Abela has insisted that a bill specifically criminalising femicide should not be interpreted as a sign that the lives of women and men have unequal value.
“Men and women’s lives have the same value but we’re all aware that in many cases we’ve witnessed, women were in a more vulnerable situation,” Abela told Parliament.
“Every woman who becomes a victim just because they’re a woman is also a mother, a sister and a daughter, so this law will make a difference to all of us.”
He quoted a recent report by the University of Malta and the Women’s Rights Foundation, which warned that Maltese society remains heavily patriarchal, with a mentality driven by gender stereotypes.
“If we want to be sincere with ourselves, we all know this to be the case,” he said.
@lovinmaltaofficial A teenage girl's emotional conversation with Prime Minister Robert Abela at the Paulina Dembska vigil tonight 🕯️ #fyp #fypmalta #malta #lovinmalta ♬ original sound – Lovin Malta
Abela recounted how a young woman had approached him at last month’s Sliema vigil for murder victim Paulina Dembska to urge him to take some kind of action to amen the streets safer.
“I took her words home with me, discussed what she said with my wife, and we placed ourselves in her shoes,” he said.
“I could see that the young woman was speaking from the heart. While we implemented many changes to combat gender-based violence, we couldn’t let this murder pass without sending out a strong message that this isn’t the society we want and that we won’t tolerate it.”
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech, while confirming that the PN will support the bill, said he was impacted by his 21-year-old daughter’s reaction to Dembska’s murder.
“She spent the next 24 hours after the murder glued to her phone, reading, writing and speaking about the murder,” he recounted .
“I could see the fear in her eyes, the fear of a girl who realised that you aren’t always safe when you’re alone in your own country, even in an urban space.”
“We must sent a strong message to those who perpetuate abuse, as well as to our youths, that we are taking action to make Malta safer.”
According to the bill, men who are found guilty of murder and attempted murder of women within “femicidal circumstances” will face harsher sentences, with the judiciary taking this into consideration when delivering sentences post-jury verdict.
Crime of passion will also be removed as a mitigating factor for femicides, but will remain valid for other murder cases.
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