“Stop killing women,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a stern Facebook post. 

“No more excuses. Protect women. Action. Now. ” 

“Bernice Cassar should have arrived at work today. She should have been able to play with her children this evening. She should not have been forced to live in fear. She should have been safe. She should have been free from torment. She should not have been killed.”

“Bernice Cassar has become the tragic victim of yet another femicide, the third this year. Like so many other victims of femicide, she had filed multiple domestic violence reports in the past,” Moviment Graffiti stated.

“Police must offer continuous training to their front liners and officers across the hierarchy. Training is needed on what the law says as well as to change harmful attitudes and behaviours that persist.”

“I’m devastated: I knew Bernice Cassar as Cilia, I supervised her for her Bachelor in Communications dissertation in 2005: Policewomen in the media. If I’m not mistaken, she won an award for that research too,” Mary Muscat said.

“This time of the year, 17 years ago, she was graduating with her first degree. My heart goes to her family. I’m speechless.”

“Whoever is politically responsible, stop blabbering and shape up, NOW.”

“Dear Bernice. I used to teach you at the University between 2002 and 2005. I’ve always thought you were a quiet, brave, clever girl,” Ġorġ Mallia recounted in a heartbreaking tribute.

“I haven’t seen you since University, but we kept in touch through Facebook. I saw you happy with your family. I saw you hugging your children. I saw you with that typical smile of yours lighting up your face. Your life was full of what blessed you. Yes, your life. The one you no longer have.”

“I will cry for you. I will mourn your future that you no longer have. I will mourn your children whose love will now fall on a barren desert and whose life has changed overnight. I will cry for your people and all those who loved you.”

“And I’m getting angry too. For the destruction of a life in its prime. For the end of your smile that was cut like a sickle from your mouth.”

“I curse those who, by their actions (or lack thereof), brought this upon you.”

“My body trembles as I write this post. My dearest cousin who did not have one bad bone in her body and was the most caring of human beings was taken from this world because of the incompetencies of this country and its system. You will always be in our hearts and thoughts,” her cousin lamented.

“My darling Bernice Cassar, no one deserves what you been through. He ended your precious journey and shattered the one of many. Life will never be the same without your presence, you will be dearly missed. Sending love, strength and light to all your loved ones who will keep your legacy alive. Forever in our hearts,” a friend of Bernice expressed.

“Dear sister-in-law, while we mourn your loss, the system has failed you too. Words cannot describe our sorrows. You will always be missed, and remembered. Rest in Peace, dear,” her brother-in-law said.

“A sleepless night thinking of why we continue to have the same nonchalant attitudes, of why we keep on spinning in circles, of why children continue to remain orphaned, of why the system keeps on failing so spectacularly,” lawyer and founder of Women’s Rights Foundation Lara Dimitrijevic wrote.

“To the system I say, you have blood on your hands and there is no excuses this time. You failed. You did not do what you are obliged to do. You are responsible. Just admit it. It is the very least that Bernice’s children and family deserve,” she continued.

“As I prepare to put my boys to bed, I am seeing Bernice’s children. Their mother took them to school but never had the chance to pick them up in the afternoon. Their mother cannot kiss them goodnight tonight, or any other night,” a childhood friend wrote.

“It’s the first femicide since the law was passed after the horrific murder at the dawn of 2022. But a law that deals with the aftermath isn’t enough. Laws cannot be dragged out for months & years on end. And the system needs to act to prevent these murders from happening.”

“There were cries for help. A report from her meant there were two people who needed help. Her and him. Before it became too late. Before he became a murderer and she, his victim. Before her children lost their mother and father forever. Before her parents have to bury their daughter.”

“As in medicine, prevention is better than cure.”

Times of Malta revealed the timeline of the abuse that Bernice endured and reported to the police. She reported her abuser at least four times – with one charging scheduled for a year and eight months after her husband allegedly held a knife to hear throat.

This case is a perfect example of the sheer negligence within Malta’s judicial system.

Bernice did everything right. She left the house that she shared with her abuser, she filed several reports over the span of six months, she received a protection order that did the antithesis of its title – yet she was still brutally murdered.

So if you ever find yourself questioning whether victims of domestic abuse are doing enough to seek protection remember this case, remember Bernice.

While every situation is different, this one goes to show that not even the ‘perfect’ victim could be saved by our system.