Hundreds of people have been reacting to the murder of mother-of-two Chantelle Chetcuti, who died after being stabbed in the head by her partner on Sunday.
MEP Robert Metsola used her Facebook page to note that Ms Chetcuti has become Malta’s 14th woman to have died at the hands of her partner in the past decade. She listed the 13 victims who had come before her.
“Christine Sammut, Irena Abadzhiev, Karen Cheatle, Yvette Gajda, Margaret Mifsud, Meryem Bugeja, Silvana Muscat, Caroline Magri, Eleanor Mangion, Maria Carmela Fenech, Antonia Micallef, Shannon Mak, Lourdes Agius. And now Chantelle Chetcuti,” the post read.
“These mothers, sisters & daughters have lost their lives to apparent domestic violence since 2010 in Malta. Murdered because they were women. Remember their names.”
I fully condemn the murder of yet another woman due to domestic violence. Even though @MaltaGov has strengthened laws on domestic violence we still need to do so much more to make sure we never add another woman's name to the list.
— Byron Camilleri (@byroncamilleri) February 4, 2020
“Four incidents of domestic violence are reported every day. Hundreds more women suffer in silence. It is not enough to be angry and heartbroken.”
“This must end. Do not be indifferent. We need laws and their proper enforcement to protect women. We need mechanisms that respond faster, and we need this scourge of our society to be tackled with the seriousness it deserves. Rest in peace Chantelle. No more.”
Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar in a Facebook post urged anyone who is living in fear not to leave it too late to seek help. "I hope no one asks or argues that 'no one kills somebody for no reason'. A murder can never be justified. Domestic violence is the third most common crime in Malta. I am sure there are more women suffering threats and other forms of abuse; some will also be reading this message. As a government, we have beefed up the laws and punishment. Seek help and support before it is too late. Rest in peace Chantelle.”
MEP Miriam Dalli called on the government to stop gender-based attacks – such as this – from happening again. “Domestic violence has no place in Malta. We need to stand up against this violence and make all the pressure needed so that our laws are stronger and our authorities realise that we need better enforcement. Killing a woman, a mother, is totally unacceptable. We will not stand down and I for one will make sure that our voices are heard.”
The Facebook posts received hundreds of comments from people reacting to Ms Chetcuti’s death.
Members of other female-focused Facebook groups such as ‘Women for Women’ have also been posting their shock and outrage.
Ms Chetcuti succumbed to her critical injuries in hospital late on Monday after having been stabbed at least five times in the head on Sunday night.
Her former long-time partner and father of their two daughters, Justin Borg, a fruit and vegetable hawker, is being questioned over the case which now became the first murder of 2020. He is due to be taken to court at about noon.
Police sources said he turned up at the gate of police headquarters in Floriana in blood-stained clothes and with drugs in his pockets, admitting to having stabbed Ms Chetcuti, 34, in Żabbar that same evening.