On the occasion of International Women’s Day, AD spokespersons Colette Sciberras and Anna Azzopardi said that while great strides have been made in gender equality in the LGBT community, women in Malta have been left far behind. This can be seen most clearly in cases of domestic violence against women, such as the recent case involving a former Assistant Commissioner of Police, which was very publicly downplayed by the Ministry for Home Affairs and the Police Force. This is absolutely intolerable in a modern European country, and AD laments the current situation where even the highest institutions, through their words, appear to condone a man beating his wife.
While crimes against women are certainly to be taken seriously, AD is keen to stress that this is not the only issue to be addressed. The generally inferior status of women in Malta can also be seen in the language used by the former head of the GWU, who recently branded as prostitutes a group of women protesting the murder of a journalist. More recently, a former election candidate, also referred to a PL MP as a prostitute. The current Commissioner for Education also this year took to the newspapers to deride women in general. Women are subjected to psychological violence publicly in the media, in articles and comments that nobody would dare publish, and rightly so, if the target were LGBTQ or people with disability, for instance, rather than women.
Other problems to be addressed include the earnings gap, which went from being the second lowest in the EU in 2015 to the second highest in 2017. Currently women earn 46% less than men, and still undertake most of domestic and caring responsibilities. AD approves of the government’s recent commitment to address the problem, and interest in Iceland’s solution, and looks forward to fruitful public consultation on the matter. While also commending the enormous input from the private sector, AD insists that government should play a stronger part in ensuring that the interests of all women are promoted, and not just those in top business roles.
There is also the gap in parliamentary representation, which, lamentably, stands at less than 15% today. That half of the population is represented by less than 15% of parliamentarians is unacceptable, and serious means to address this need to be implemented. AD welcomes discussion of all proposed solutions to this problem, including making the electoral system more representative, through, for example, the use of the continental party list system.
Malta is a society which is changing. It is a society with a plurality of values. The way forward in all spheres of life, not least in women’s issues is serious, honest discussion and engagement.
***
Nisa – diskussjoni segwita b’azzjoni
Fl-okkażjoni tal-Jum Internazzjonali tal-Mara, il-kelliema AD Colette Sciberras u Anna Azzopardi qalu li filwaqt li, kif għandu jkun, saru passi kbar fl-ugwaljanza bejn il-generi għall-komunità LGBT, in-nisa f’Malta tħallew lura. Dan huwa ċar fil-każijiet ta’ vjolenza domestika kontra n-nisa, bħall-każ reċenti li jinvolvu eks Assistent Kummissarju tal-Pulizija. F’dan il-każ il-Ministeru tal-Intern u l-Korp tal-Pulizija ippruvaw b’xi mod jiġġustifikaw l-kawża tal-vjolenza. Dan huwa assolutament intollerabbli f’pajjiż Ewropew modern. AD tikkritika s-sitwazzjoni fejn anki l-ogħla istituzzjonijiet, b’użu ta’ kliem mhux meqjus, jidhru li qed jaqbżu għal raġel li jsawwat lil martu.
Filwaqt li d-delitti u l-vjolenza kontra n-nisa huma ċertament ta’ tħassib, AD tenfasizza li dan mhuwiex l-uniku suġġett li għandu jiġi indirizzat. L-istatus ġeneralment inferjuri tan-nisa f’Malta tista ‘tidher ukoll fil-lingwa użata mill-eks uffiċjal tal-GWU, li reċentement għajjar prostituti grupp ta’ nisa li kienu qed jipprotestaw dwar l-qtil ta ‘ġurnalist. Reċentement, kandidat għall-elezzjoni ġenerali, ukoll irrefera għal Membru Parlamentari tal-PL bħala prostituta. Il-Kummissarju għall-Edukazzjoni attwali wkoll uża artiklu fil-gazzetti biex jgħaddi biż-żmien lin-nisa pubblikament. In-nisa huma soġġetti għal vjolenza psikoloġika pubblikament fil-midja, fl-artikli u f’kummenti li ħadd ma jazzarda, u bir-raġun, jagħmel fil-konfront ta’ gruppi oħra bħal persuni LGBTQ jew persuni b’diżabilità.
Problemi oħra li għandhom jiġu indirizzati jinkludu l-‘earnings gap’, li marret mit-tieni l-aktar baxx fl-UE fl-2015 għat-tieni l-ogħla fl-2017. In-nisa bħalissa jaqilgħu 46% inqas mill-irġiel, u xorta jwettqu ħafna mill-responsabbiltajiet domestiċi u ta’ kura. AD tapprova l-impenn reċenti tal-gvern biex jindirizza l-problema, u l-interess fis-soluzzjoni li qed tuża l-Islanda biex taffronta l-problema. Nistennew bil-ħerqa konsultazzjoni pubblika siewja dwar il-kwistjoni. Filwaqt li tfaħħar il-kontribut enormi mis-settur privat, AD tinsisti li l-gvern għandu jkun fuq quddiem biex jiżgura li l-interessi tan-nisa jitħarsu, u mhux biss l-interessi ta’ dawk f’pożizzjonijiet għolja imma l-interessi tan-nisa kollha.
Hemm ukoll lakuna fir-rappreżentazzjoni parlamentari, li illum hija minn 15%. Din mhix aċċettabbli, u hemm bżonn sforz serju biex din il-kwestjoni tiġi indirizzata. AD tilqa ‘d-diskussjoni dwar din il-problema. Ninsistu li s-sistema elettorali kollha kemm hi ssir aktar rappreżentattiva, permezz, per eżempju, tal-użu tas-sistema tal-listi tal-partiti fuq stil kontinentali.
Malta hija soċjetà li qed tinbidel. Hija soċjetà b’varjeta’ ta ‘valuri. It-triq ‘il quddiem fl-isferi kollha tal-ħajja, mhux l-inqas fil-kwistjonijiet tan-nisa hija diskussjoni onesta u serja u impenn lejn ir-rispett sħiħ ta’ kulħadd.
