A special parliamentary sitting on Friday heard how men and boys should take on a stronger role in fighting gender-based violence and work for more equality between men and women.
The special parliamentary sitting, titled Combating Violence against Women: the role of Men and Boys, was organised by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Council of Europe. It comes as the EU is set to ratify the Istanbul Convention, which is an international agreement on gender-based violence.
The convention, also known as the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, was adopted by the Council of Europe in 2011 and came into force in 2014.
It requires states to take steps to prevent violence, protect victims, and prosecute perpetrators.
European Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli was among the keynote speakers who opened the debate.
Describing gender-based violence as a “scourge” Dalli said men need to help change the status quo.
“Women and girls cannot do this alone,” she said.
She said the vast majority of domestic abuse victims were women and “the way boys socialise has a lot to do with that.”
Dalli said the bloc needed an EU-wide definition of rape that mirrored the convention.
Malta updated its rape laws in 2018. Adopting the language of the Istanbul Convention, Malta changed the legal definition of rape to sex without consent, eliminating the need to prove the use or threat of violence or coercion.
But there is still a lot to do, Dalli said.
“Legal professionals still ask what a woman was wearing when she was raped,” she said.
The European Commissioner referred to a rape trial hearing on Wednesday during which defence lawyer Mario Buttigieg asked an alleged victim what she was wearing as his first question during cross-examination.
Politicians from both sides of the House, Council of Europe representatives, activists and experts were present for the sitting that hosted two panels.
The panels debated The Need to Eliminate Harmful Gender Stereotypes and The Importance of Adopting an Intersectional Approach.
'Children of men in equal power relationship do well at school'
Aleksandar Dimitrijevic from Men Against Violence said that gender violence has ancient roots.
“It goes back to the story of Adam, Eve, and Pandora,” he said., adding "that same mentality is still culturally enforced today".
Dimitrijevic said men in "equal power relationships" were mentally and physically healthier and were less likely to divorce, while their children performed better at school.
Commissioner for the Promotion of Equality Renee Laiviera meanwhile said by the age of three children could identify "men’s and women's jobs".
This eventually impacts their choice of careers, with professions that are usually associated with men being higher paid.
She said women were more likely to lean towards care professions while men were more likely to opt for tech-linked industries.
Additionally, in female-dominated sectors, such as education, decision-making roles are disproportionally occupied by men, she added.
“This leads to a gender pay gap and eventually a gender pension gap”.
'More positive male role models'
Children’s Commissioner Antoinette Vassallo meanwhile noted that children in kindergarten and primary school years needed more positive male role models.
Addressing the same event, CEO of Victim Support Agency Brian Farrugia said that a third-country national (TCN) with no family, lack of legal knowledge and mistrust of authorities based on experiences in her country might be more unwilling to escape from an abusive relationship.
Asked what a TCN should do if they quit their job because they are victims of workplace harassment, Farrugia assured they would not be deported if they sought support from the Victim Support Agency.
TCNs who quit their job usually have 10 days to find a new job.