Activists are organising a march against femicide next Saturday, in the wake of violent attacks on female victims these past few weeks.
Maria-Lourdes Agius was found dead on Saturday with heavy bruising around her neck.
Investigators believe the case could be linked to domestic violence. Her partner, with whom she had three children and had shared a home for three years, was arraigned in connection with the case yesterday.
Read: Man pleads not guilty to murder of mother-of-six
Michael Emmanuel, 28, had inflicted physical and mental harm on both Ms Agius and her 64-year-old mother Maria, the court was told.
In July, two elderly women were killed in what appeared to be another domestic incident in Għargħur. A man was subsequently arrested after suspicions he had stabbed his mother and aunt at their home.
And, last month, 30-year-old Shannon Mak was found with her neck slashed outside an apartment in St Venera. Her partner, 22-year-old Jelle Rijpma, was also arraigned as a suspect in her murder.
How many more women need to die at the hands of men?
According to court proceedings, Mr Rijpma had told investigators that he had “freaked out” during an argument.
“How many more women need to die at the hands of men? How many women need to have their lives taken away because the system failed them?” the march’s organisers, the Women’s Rights Foundation asked.
The foundation pointed out that the femicide rate in Malta stands at 70 per cent of murdered women. No fewer than 37 women have been murdered since 2000, with 26 being killed by their partner or close family member, the Women’s Rights Foundation said.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer and foundation director Lara Dimitrijevic said she was “done with empty talk”.
She pointed out that after years of talking about laws to ensure better protection of women, four women had been killed in less than four months.
Meanwhile, Nisa Laburisti condemned the act of violence that led to the murder of Ms Agius.
“We owe it to all victims of domestic violence to continue to tackle this issue head on and if need be commit further resources to ensure that women do not continue to fear in silence,” Nisa Laburisti president Nikita Zammit Alamango said in a statement yesterday.
“Society has to wake up and smell the coffee. Regardless of colour or nationality, religion or race, no-one has the right to take a woman’s life.”