Last week, my colleague Edward Zammit Lewis and I unveiled a set of amendments which will be now brought to parliament in order to introduce in our criminal code the concept of femicide for the first time in our country’s legal history.
As Lara Dimitrijevic, from the Women’s Rights Foundation, correctly said, this in itself is a historic step for our country. It will make Malta one of the first countries in Europe to introduce the concept of femicide in the statute books. Femicide is defined as the specific murder of a woman or a girl because of her gender.
This strong and important legislative step, which came about after consultations, led by Prime Minister Robert Abela, with experts and NGOs in the field, was unveiled exactly one month after the horrendous murder of Paulina Dembska and two years after the equally horrendous murder of Chantelle Chetcuti. Both killings shocked the nation and prompted us to question our values and mentalities. Our thoughts are and will remain with their families and all the families who have lost a daughter or a wife or a mother due to femicide.
Various reports authored by both local and international experts have repeatedly and consistently concluded that there are still harmful patriarchal mentalities and misogynistic attitudes ingrained in our communities and that those mentalities and attitudes stand out among other contributing factors which impede women from enjoying full equality compared to the other gender.
We need to send a clear and strong message that there is no room for such outdated and toxic beliefs in our country. Some people, after hearing the news about the new legal reform on femicide, took to social media and asked whether those amendments actually put men at a disadvantage.
The answer is a clear no. They do not because the proposed changes seek to compensate for the empirically proven prevailing situation of a society and culture which are still heavily shaped by patriarchy and by a narrative of gender stereotypes and gender roles and wherein an unacceptable prevalence of domestic and gender-based violence, including femicide, are, unfortunately, still present, as are elsewhere.
I appeal for Malta to unite against the ugly reality of gender-based violence- Owen Bonnici
A lot has been done in the past years and more decisions and changes will be undertaken in the years to come. However, the point remains that far too many women and, by far, more than men have been and are still suffering from violence at the hands of their supposedly loved ones, family members or ex-partners. If anything, the global pandemic brought this dire reality even more to the forefront, making it clearly undeniable.
The proposed amendments will make three main changes to our laws: the law will now be providing a clear list of ‘femicidal circumstances’ which will guide the court as to the higher punishment to be given once a man is found to be guilty of the murder of a woman as long as it is prevailing with any one of those circumstances.
Secondly, the law will also provide that homicide with femicidal characteristics will be excluded from qualifying as an excusable homicide on the basis of sudden passion and mental excitement.
Thirdly, all this applies not only with regard to the crime of murder but also with regard to the attempted murder carried out with femicidal circumstances.
As a minister, as a legislator and, more importantly, as a father of a young girl, I appeal for Malta to unite against the ugly reality of gender-based violence. Nothing should stand in the way of attaining the goal of turning our beloved country into a land of equality.
Women need to be protected from psychological violence, gender-based violence as well as physical and sexual violence. We must live the concept of gender equality on a daily basis, in every context, in every action, in every decision and in every word we say.
Everyone must do his, her or their part to continue to win more minds and hearts in favour of gender equality.
We are and will keep doing ours.