Women's lobby speaks out following Robert Aquilina case
Victims of domestic violence need prompt, effective protection, lobby says
The Malta Women’s Lobby has expressed 'deep concern and sorrow' over another reported case of violence against women.
"We underline the duty of the authorities to act swiftly and decisively to protect victims—irrespective of who the perpetrator may be," the group said.
Robert Aquilina, the former president of the Repubblika rule of law group, was questioned by police after a domestic violence report on Saturday. In a statement later he denied wrongdoing, pointing out that a magistrate had refused a police request to arrest him and actually allowed him to return home to his family.
The Women's Lobby said it was not going into the merits of this particular case.
It said it continued to be alarmed by the imbalance in how victims were treated by the system.
"The law does not allow victims the privilege of being asked whether they want the aggressor back in the home. On the contrary, it is often the victim who is asked whether she wants to go into a shelter, sometimes even being forced to leave the children behind—as though the onus is on her to leave, hide, and rebuild her life from scratch, while the perpetrator remains free and undisturbed. This approach is not only unjust, but also fundamentally flawed, in situations where a risk assessment indicated that a victim was at high risk, the authorities had a clear and non-negotiable obligation to err on the side of caution," the group said.
"The protection of the victim must always come first—before any other consideration."
The lobby called for legislative reform to place victim safety at the centre of all decisions.
It also called for mandatory and continuous training for the judiciary and law enforcement, consistent and firm application of protective measures and policies that hold perpetrators to account and prioritise victim protection.