It’s been the kind of week that has had me scratching my head about which news has bothered me the most. Several themes swirling in my mind, but they almost all stem from the fact that at this point, people seem to be going out of their way to be ridiculous.

Apart from the news that the state is looking to potentially uproot and move an inconveniently built historical tower to make way for yet another road (I’m surprised that no one has suggested we turn Ġgantija into a shopping complex which specialises in plus size clothing yet), we also have the EU Commission looking into the fact that Malta opened its trapping season for protected songbirds. In case you were wondering, our pretext for opening the trapping season is that it needed to happen for research purposes (please don’t hold back the hysterical laughter, I certainly haven’t).

However, the cherry on the black forest gateau had to be Chantelle Chetcuti’s former partner and alleged murderer being let out on bail.

It’s often hard for a layperson to understand the ways of the law, but it’s not hard to see that our ways are simply not working. Cases which should be wrapped up in a matter of months are taking years and justice is not only being delayed but it is leaving behind a sea of victims in its wake: families who are unable to get the closure they need and move on.

Does a woman’s life matter so little?- Anna Marie Galea

Miriam Pace has been dead for almost eight months and, just two months ago, her husband yet again brought up the fact the family had heard nothing about the report which the Prime Minister had asked for. In addition to this, a request for a public inquiry has been ignored.

To my knowledge, Lassana Cisse’s alleged murderers have been out on bail for almost a year with no end in sight for that mess and Daniel Muka was out on bail for a hold-up three years earlier when he allegedly committed the Sliema double murder which left all of Malta devastated just a few months ago. The mind boggles.

What makes the court’s decision in the Chetcuti case even more painful is the fact that her alleged killer is to have no contact with her family unless to have access to his children. Excuse me?

This man showed up at the police station, covered in blood and turned himself in after an attack on his children’s mother and this has not been enough for him to forfeit his right to his children? What kind of sick joke is this?

I can only imagine what this woman’s parents are going through. Not only do they have to live with the fact that their daughter’s alleged killer is going to be roaming around practically free as a bird (not a bird in Malta, but you get my drift) between 5am and 8pm every day, but on top of that, they have to hand over the precious grandchildren they are probably raising themselves because this same man has abruptly ended their daughter’s life. What are we then to make of their pain? Have they not had to go through enough already without this being thrust on them too? Does a woman’s life matter so little?

This is the era in which we live. We have all the science, technology and knowledge to make things better and instead we remain stuck. Stuck in our ignorance, stuck in systems which have long not been able to serve their purpose. Justice delayed is justice denied. Demand better.