We’re sick and tired: A number of organisations working in the field of human and women’s rights expressed their anger and frustration at a patriarchal system manifested most recently by the Malta Police Force.
A number of organisations working in the field of human and women’s rights gathered in front of the Malta Police General Headquarters in Floriana to express their anger and frustration at how the most recent femicide in the Maltese Islands was claimed to not be gender-related. The organisations argued that such statements, presented by three male members of the Malta Police Force, continue to show our lack of knowledge and awareness about issues related to gender and sexuality, not least about gender-based violence, which in this case culminated into yet another rape and murder of a woman. Indeed, this demonstration comes in the wake of the attempted murder of yet another woman within the span of a few days, the victim being stabbed multiple times in her home in Żabbar.
Justifying such an insensitive and uninformed claim by arguing that prior to Paulina Dembska’s murder, the alleged perpetrator of the crime attacked two men, does not make this crime gender neutral. The Police claimed that the alleged attacker has a rather “complicated sexual identity” and consequently he attacked persons at random, regardless of their gender. However, according to the same organisations, this further reinforces their argument that the crime was gender-based and that the issue of gender and sexuality was central to the crime. Having a “complicated sexuality” makes gender and sexuality a central concern rather than an irrelevant one. Furthermore, regardless of who the alleged perpetrator attacked before, the fact remains that ultimately, it was a woman who was raped and murdered, reflecting the fact that women continue to be the vast majority of rape victims and of gender-based violence leading to murder.
This latest femicide, in a string of women murdered by men is a reflection of a patriarchal culture based on gender stereotypes which permeates our society, to the extent that it is normalised, dismissed, trivialised and its existence denied.
This culture, which is pervasive of the whole society, is transmitted across generations and reinforced by parents, teachers, religious leaders and other role models, as well as by the media. Society as a whole is responsible for gender inequality in society, for not trying hard enough to erase these gender stereotypes, to the extent that victims of gender-based violence, sexual harassment and assault, and other forms of gender-based injustices are often blamed rather than recognised as victims of this patriarchal and misogynistic society. This renders Malta an unjust and unsafe society for women, the organisations said.
The organisations made the following demands:
1. More accountability by those in authority. Everyone needs to be held accountable. We have had enough of listening to authorities telling us that there is room for improvement, we have had enough of hearing about the failures of the system, with the length of court proceedings, of failure of effective protection and tolerance towards sexist attitudes and comments towards women and girls. Time has come for all to assume responsibility from the politicians, authorities, community and every individual in our society, not least the male perpetrators.
2. Concrete action in all spheres of society to address stereotypes, misogyny and patriarchy. We need to move beyond the rhetoric as well as beyond legal mechanisms. Gender stereotypes need to be addressed on different levels, particularly at school and on the media. Opinion leaders such as politicians, religious leaders, journalists, editors, teachers, lawyers and members of the judiciary as well as policy makers need to recognise their responsibility in reproducing gender stereotypes and to take this more seriously.
3. We need to review our sexuality and relationship education guidelines, but more than that, we need to examine how these lessons filter down into the classrooms and what, if any, effect they have. We need sexual and relationship education that starts earlier and lasts longer, and that has consent and equality at its core. Young people live in a fast paced environment, with a high media impact. This affects the ways they learn about sex and relationships. As a society, we need to be pro-active. We need to provide our children with building blocks for recognising and creating healthy, power equal, gender equal, safe relationships. We need to recognise that dealing with gender based violence, disrespect and abuse is a multifaceted issue and that all pillars of our society have to pull the same rope in order for change to happen. The first step towards this requires political will from authorities and their commitment to reform.
4. Victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape need to be taken more seriously. It is useless claiming that these victims do not report. They are more likely to report their abuse if they trust the police and the justice system and know that they will be taken seriously by all sectors of society including the healthcare system and the media.
5. Society needs to stop blaming the victim. We need to recognise victims as victims and not put the blame on them for being in a particular place, for what they were wearing, for not reporting earlier and so on. Society is duty bound to protect victims and to ensure that the actions of their perpetrators are taken seriously by the justice system. This needs to be reflected both in court proceedings and in the sentences meted out.
The following organisations and groups participated in the demonstration:
Moviment Graffitti
Women’s Rights Foundation
Malta LGBT+ Rights Movement (MGRM)
Young Progressive Beings
Doctors for Choice Malta
Integra Foundation
aditus foundation
YMCA Malta
Men Against Violence
Għajjejt u Xbajt
The Malta Women’s Lobby
Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar
Migrant Women Association Malta
Women for Women Foundation
Għejejna u Xbajna: Numru ta’ organizzazzjonijiet mill-qasam tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem u tan-nisa esprimew ir-rabja u l-frustrazzjoni tagħhom lejn is-sistema patrijarkali li l-aħħar manifestazzjoni qawwija u riċenti tagħha kienet mill-Korp tal-Pulizija ta’ Malta.
Grupp ta’ organizzazzjonijiet mill-qasam tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem u tan-nisa nġabru quddiem il-Kwartieri Ġenerali tal-Pulizija ta’ Malta fil-Furjana biex jesprimu r-rabja u l-frustrazzjoni tagħhom lejn l-istqarrija tal-Pulizija li l-aħħar femiċidju li seħħ fil-gżejjer Maltin m’għandux għeruqu fil-ġeneru tal-persuna. L-organizzazzjonijiet qalu li stqarrijiet bħal dawn, u preżentati minn tliet membri rġiel tal-Korp tal-Pulizija ta’ Malta, ikomplu juru n-nuqqas ta’ għarfien fir-rigward ta’ kwistjonijiet relatati mal-ġeneru u s-sesswalità, kif ukoll il-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru, li f’dan il-każ wasslet għall-istupru u l-qtil ta’ mara oħra. Din il-protesta saret ftit jiem wara l-attentat ta’ qtil ta’ mara oħra b’daqqiet ta’ arma bil-ponta f’darha ġewwa Ħaż-Żabbar.
L-istqarrija insensittiva u xejn infurmata tal-Pulizija pruvaw jiġġustifikawha bl-argument li qabel il-qtil ta’ Paulina Dembska, l-allegat awtur tar-reat kien attakka żewġt irġiel. Iżda dan ma jfissirx li d-delitt mhuwiex marbut mal-ġeneru. Il-Pulizija sostniet li l-allegat attakkant għandu “identità sesswali pjuttost kumplessa” u b’riżultat ta’ dan attakka persuni bl-addoċċ u irrispettivament mill-ġeneru tagħhom. Skont l-organizzazzjonijiet involuti fil-protesta, dan ikompli jsaħħaħ l-argument li d-delitt huwa ankrat fil-ġeneru u li l-kwistjoni tal-ġeneru u s-sesswalità jibqgħu fiċ-ċentru tiegħu. Skonthom, “sesswalità kumplessa” trendi s-sess u s-sesswalità fiċ-ċentru u mhux fil-periferija tal-kwistjoni. Barra minn hekk, irrispettivament minn min attakka qabel l-allegat qattiel, kienet mara li ġiet stuprata u maqtula, b’konformità sħiħa mal-fatt li l-maġġoranza l-kbira tal-vittmi tal-istupru u tal-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru u li twassal għall-qtil, huma nisa.
Dan il-femiċidju – fost lista sħiħa ta’ nisa maqtula mill-irġiel – jkompli jirrifletti kemm hi mifruxa l-kultura patrijarkali fis-soċjetà tagħna, soċjetà msejsa fuq sterjotipi tal-ġeneru, sal-punt li din il-kultura tisfa dejjem normalizzata, banalizzata u miċħuda.
Il-kultura patrijarkali mifruxa fis-soċjetà tagħna kollha, tintiret minn ġenerazzjoni għal oħra u tkompli tissaħħaħ permezz ta’ ġenituri, għalliema, mexxejja reliġjużi, persunaġġi prominenti kif ukoll il-media. Il-membri kollha tas-soċjetà jaħtu għall-inugwaljanza bejn is-sessi u għan-nuqqas ta’ ħidma serja biex jinqerdu l-isterjotipi tal-ġeneru sal-punt li l-vittmi tal-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru, ta’ fastidju u attakki sesswali, u l-inġustizzji l-oħra kollha abbażi tal-ġeneru, sikwit jingħataw tort aktar milli jiġu rikonoxxuti bħala vittmi tal-misoġinija u l-patrijarkat. B’riżultat ta’ dan, is-soċjetà Maltija mhijiex soċjetà ġusta u sigura għan-nisa.
It-talbiet tal-organizzazzjonijiet huma dawn:
1. L-awtoritajiet jeħtieġ li jerfgħu iktar responsabbiltà. Xbajna nisimgħu li hemm lok għal titjib, xbajna nisimgħu dwar il-fallimenti tas-sistema, it-tul tal-proċeduri fil-qorti, in-nuqqas ta’ protezzjoni effettiva u t-tolleranza ta’ mġiba u kummenti sessisti dwar in-nisa u l-bniet. Wasal iż-żmien li kulħadd jassumi r-responsabbiltà tiegħu u tagħha – mill-politiċi sal-awtoritajiet, il-komunità u kull membru tas-soċjetà tagħna, mhux l-inqas l-irġiel li jwettqu dawn ir-reati.
2. Għandha tittieħed azzjoni konkreta fl-oqsma kollha tas-soċjetà biex jiġu indirizzati l-isterjotipi, il-misoġinija u l-patrijarkat. Irridu nimxu lil hinn mir-retorika u l-mekkaniżmi legali. L-isterjotipi tal-ġeneru jeħtieġ li jiġu indirizzati fuq livelli differenti, b’mod partikolari fl-iskejjel u l-mezzi tax-xandir. Il-mexxejja tal-opinjoni pubblika, bħall-politiċi, il-mexxejja reliġjużi, il-ġurnalisti, l-edituri, l-għalliema, l-avukati, il-membri tal-ġudikatura u dawk li jfasslu l-politika, jeħtieġ li jirrikonoxxu r-responsabbiltà tagħhom fir-riproduzzjoni tal-isterjotipi tal-ġeneru u jeħduha bis-serjetà.
3. Meħtieġa r-reviżjoni tal-linji gwida dwar l-edukazzjoni sesswali u r-relazzjonijiet, iżda aktar minn hekk, irridu neżaminaw kif dawn qed jitwasslu fil-lezzjonijiet u l-impatt li qed ikollhom. L-edukazzjoni sesswali u relazzjonali għandha tibda kmieni u ddum aktar u għandu jkollha l-kunsens u l-ugwaljanza fil-qalba tagħha. Iż-żgħażagħ jgħixu f’ambjent mgħaġġel u b’impatt medjatiku għoli. Irridu għalhekk inkunu proattivi. Jeħtieġ li ngħaddulhom bażi tajba biex fuqha jagħrfu jibnu relazzjonijiet sħaħ, ugwali fejn jidħlu poter u ġeneru, u siguri. Irridu nagħrfu li l-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru, in-nuqqas ta’ rispett u l-abbuż huma problemi ta’ bosta dimensjonijiet u li l-pilastri kollha tas-soċjetà tagħna jridu jiġbdu l-istess ħabel sabiex isseħħ il-bidla meħtieġa fil-konfront tagħhom. L-ewwel passi fid-direzzjoni t-tajba jitolbu r-rieda politika tal-awtoritajiet u l-impenn tagħhom favur ir-riforma.
4. Il-vittmi tal-fastidju sesswali, l-attakki sesswali u l-istupru jeħtieġ li jittieħdu b’aktar serjetà. Inutli li wieħed isostni li l-vittmi ma jirrapurtawx għand il-pulizija. Il-vittmi ser iħossuhom iktar komdi jirrapurtaw l-abbużi jekk fil-fatt jafdaw lill-pulizija u s-sistema ġudizzjarja u jekk jemmnu li se jittieħdu bis-serjetà mill-oqsma kollha tas-soċjetà, inkluż is-sistema tal-kura tas-saħħa u l-media.
5. Is-soċjetà trid tieqaf twaħħal fil-vittma. Irridu nagħrfu lill-vittmi bħala vittmi u ma npoġġux it-tort fuqhom talli kienu f’post partikolari, minħabba dak li kienu lebsin, talli ma rrapurtawx qabel u l-bqija. Huwa d-dmir tas-soċjetà li tħares lill-vittmi tal-vjolenza sesswali jew abbażi tal-ġeneru u li tiżgura li l-azzjonijiet ta’ min wettaq ir-reati jittieħdu bis-serjetà, kemm fil-proċeduri tal-qorti kif ukoll fis-sentenzi mogħtija.
L-organizzazzjonijiet parteċpi fid-dimostrazzjoni huma:
Moviment Graffitti
Women’s Rights Foundation
Malta LGBT+ Rights Movement (MGRM)
Young Progressive Beings
Doctors for Choice Malta
Integra Foundation
aditus foundation
YMCA Malta
Men Against Violence
Għajjejt u Xbajt
The Malta Women’s Lobby
Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar
Migrant Women Association Malta
Women for Women Foundation
