Equality commission: The system failed Bernice Cassar

The onus to ensure safety from violence against women lies squarely on institutions, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) said on Wednesday.

In reaction to the murder of Bernice Cassar by her estranged husband, the Commission issued a statement calling for deep institutional and societal changes to fight femicide.

“Notwithstanding the notable legal advancements addressing violence against women, the social support, law enforcement and judicial systems are still far from adequately protecting women from perpetrators of violence against them,” the statement reads.

The Commission points out that femicide is an extreme form of violence resulting from a patriarchal society, where some men feel entitled to exert power and control over women.

“For example, we often witness, even in public fora, sexist micro-aggressions, comments, insults and the attempted humiliation of women, especially of those women who do not conform to stereotypical gender roles.”

Bernice Cassar bled to death outside her car after being shot by her estranged husband on her way to work. She was shot in the face and chest soon after she dropped off their two children to school.

Cassar victim had filed five police reports against her husband for domestic violence, one of them as recently as Monday morning, the day before she was murdered. Charges had been issued for three of the reports that were filed in May and the relevant court cases were scheduled to be heard in November 2023.

The Commission added: “She was clearly fearing for her safety and for the safety of her children and had done everything in her power to keep herself and her children safe.”

“Our society and institutions have a long way to go to effectively address the scourge of violence against women.”