Whether we are talking about the vilification and assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia or the murder of Chantelle Chetcuti, the abusive invective thrown at women’s NGOs or the misogynistic discourse that invades our homes, places of work, and parliament, one thing remains consistent.

Women are being forced to bear the burden of Malta’s dangerous socio-cultural conflation of masculinity with aggression, and its explosion in acts of lethal violence.

The brutal murder of Chantelle Chetcuti has once again raised concerns about the challenges women face in Maltese society, and as a result, the threats to their families that destabilise our country as a whole. We are called to question the role that men play, in undermining the security and safety of women.

The call for adequate protection from gender-based violence is once again being sounded, from the ranks of civil society activists, politicians, and citizens alike. The knee-jerk response that these acts of visible and traumatic violence provoke is clear evidence that we, as a nation, are aware of the depth of the problem. What is less clear, however, is the kind of commitment to a long-term response we intend to pursue.

One has only to look at the erratic numbers of reported cases, which show an increase in the number of reports steadily accruing. There are multiple factors that have contributed to statistical spikes, including population expansion, increased reporting, and a national focus on domestic violence.

However, one constant fact remains clear – women are still being killed, often as a result of intimate partner violence.

The killing of Chetcuti by her partner has ignited fierce debate. Arguments run the gamut, from legitimate condemnation to more nuanced perspectives that ask what we could have done to raise the alarm earlier, to ensure the abuse she endured did not end with lethal violence. Academics and policy makers have, over the years, promoted a zero-tolerance agenda towards gender-based violence.

And yet, the danger persists. Have these academic and policy-led efforts translated into a social transformation, improving the lives of women and girls who find themselves on the receiving end of domestic abuse and gender-based violence? Have these efforts changed the way men relate with women, in their homes and in the public sphere? The data from Malta and the EU is far from reassuring.

If the data about femicide tells us anything, it is that gender matters. In light of this, the uncomfortable question that needs to be asked (and that has been systematically avoided by Maltese society) is to explore the role of men, as the perpetrators of lethal violence against women, and to question what is being done to work with men on these issues.

As Malta gears up to hold ever-more challenging conversations about abortion, we would do well to remember it is women who are voicing their pro-choice convictions, and we are experiencing victimisation and threats of violence. Activists have consistently reported obscene, demeaning, and even outright threatening language directed their way, on social media and in the public square, ostensibly for being women who are talking about an issue of direct relevance to themselves and other women. Voicing your objection to abortion is acceptable, delivering that message through threats is not.

If we, as a society, cannot ensure that all women feel safe to share their most intimate narratives, to voice their truths, and to affirm their deeply held beliefs, there can be no credible strategy to eliminate gender-based violence and femicide in our society.

Femicide is not an aberration. It is the direct consequence of a particular vision of masculine privilege, a dangerous corruption of what it means to be a man in contemporary Maltese society.

It is time to have the difficult conversation about what it means to be a man, if we are truly committed to protecting women in Malta.