[WATCH] ‘We are losing hope’, NGOs tell Justice Minister on domestic violence

Justice Minister meets with NGOs on domestic violence

Activists against domestic violence have told Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis they were losing hope with a system that was not adequately protecting women.

The strong statement came on the back of the murder of 34-year-old mother-of-two, Chantelle Chetcuti by her ex-partner.

“Women don’t feel safe because even when they resort to authorities, they still end up dead. We don’t know what to tell victims anymore, whether to resort to the law courts or the police. We are losing hope,” a spokesperson for SOAR, a domestic violence survivor service, said.

She was speaking during a meeting between NGOs, the Domestic Violence Commission and the Justice Minister on Tuesday evening.

The NGOs met with Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and Equality Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar at the Auberge d’Aragon in the aftermath of a brutal murder that saw a mother of two murdered by her ex-partner.

She had filed a police report of domestic violence against her partner seven years prior. The police issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that they had followed up on the report and the man was charged at the time.

Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar blames domestic violence on the 'misogynistic and sexist mentality'

Cutajar held nothing back when discussing the murder. “It’s not just an issue of legislation. I attribute this to our mentality, a Mediterranean mentality, a misogynistic and sexist mentality. It’s important that whoever is a future victim of domestic violence does not end up like Chantelle,” she said.

Zammit Lewis agreed, said that apart from legislation, education and police training needed to be revisited.

“There were times when we considered tougher punishments for similar crimes, but these didn’t work and weren’t a deterrent. The ratification of the Istanbul convention was a step in the right direction but we need to revisit other realms,” he said.

He added that a draft legislation will be tabled in parliament on Wednesday and aims to strengthen the power of a temporary protection order.

The meeting was held before civil society activists held a protest outside parliament calling for an immediate solution to femicide and domestic violence on women.

The meeting continued behind closed doors.

Speaking to MaltaToday after the meeting, Zammit Lewis described Chetcuti’s murder as an “atrocious” one. 

“We did a lot in this sector but not enough. We met with [NGOs] not because of the protest they’re organising but because a lot of work still needs to be done. The biggest problem here is society, the way we think, the way men think. We are still a patriarchal society,” he said.

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