Junior Minister Rosianne Cutajar has just won two cases of libel against individuals that called her a whore on social media.

“Today, the court has awarded a victory to all girls and women,” she said on a Facebook post.

“The court upheld two judgments that I filed against Godfrey Leone Ganado and Rachel Williams that it is unacceptable to call a woman a ‘whore’ simply because she is a woman,” she said.

Two years ago, Cutajar opened two cases of libel against Godfrey Leone Ganado, a retired auditor, and Rachel Williams, an activist, after Godfrey publicly denounced her as a whore on Williams’ Facebook profile.

Cutajar even uploaded screenshots of the derogatory comments on Facebook – condemning both individuals.

The cases marked the first time that she had opened a libel in her ten year political career which she has now won. 

Malta’s Junior Minister for Equality and Reforms was ultimately awarded €300 in moral damages payable by Leone Ganado, and another €500 in moral damages jointly payable by Leone Ganado and Williams. The defendants were also ordered to remove the original defamatory posts from their respective social media pages.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I accept all kinds of criticism because of my political role. Let’s debate, let’s disagree but let’s not degenerate into sexist language like this if we really want more women in politics!” she ended.

Cutajar has been a strong advocate for equal rights over the past few years, often condemning hate speech hurled at individuals, especially towards women.

This legal victory also helps set a precedent against hate speech moving forward.

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