ADPD-The Green Party spokespersons said that every year on this day – International Women’s Day – we are reminded of how much more work needs to be done for the advancement of women, in order for women to be considered as persons with their own free will and not just as an object or accessory within the traditional house-wife family-carer role.
ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Secretary General Dr Melissa Bagley said that for women’s advancement to lead to respect men should be committed to it as well. We need to work hand-in-hand to move away from a patriarchal society towards a more inclusive and just one where man and woman share their duties on an equal basis, with equal opportunities where it is not just the woman who carries the family responsibilities alone.
Gone are the days that family responsibilities are burdened on the woman on an exclusive basis. The mentality needs to change across the board including the mediocre sentences awarded by the Family Court such as in the case of rape, violence and sexual harassment at the workplace. Bagley mentioned the case at the national orchestra where the victim had been encouraged to remain silent but she had stood her ground. It is time that women speak up and speak out loud!
Authorities should also look into the legal set up where women are still considered second fiddle to the ‘head of the family’ such as in the case of tax matters where women are still considered under the protective wings of men even if she is self-employed with her own business. Women should be protected legally in court and by the authorities, concluded Bagley.
ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci said the Bernice case remains an open wound – it is hard to forget how a woman who was suffering from violence had reported once, twice, ……. SIX times but there were no resources to assist her. It seems that moneys to be wasted on corrupt contracts we do have but not to protect our women!
It is futile that femicide has been declared as a violent act in its own right if no action is taken or the little that is takes too long to be implemented. It took 18 years in the Sion case for justice to be carried out while the alleged killer of Chantelle Chetcuti who ended up with a knife in her head is allowed to travel abroad at will.
To see the scale of the problem we must consider that around five reports of domestic violence are being filed on a daily basis since Bernice was murdered. The crux of the matter is that woman is still considered as an object belonging to a man and God forbid if she leaves the relationship or speaks up. To add insult to injury we have suspended sentences awarded by the Courts such as in the recent case by Magistrate Monica Vella that are presented as exemplary – these just show how our institutions are not giving due consideration to the seriousness of the violence against women problem and seem to almost condone such violence. These matters must be fixed with urgency. Enough empty rhetoric. All we are asking for is to be valued more than a bird, a dog or a chicken, concluded Gauci.
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Il-mara għandha tiġi mħarsa ħafna aktar mill-awtoritajiet
Kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party qalu fi stqarrija li f’ dan il-jum – Jum il-Mara – li suppost niċċelebraw l-avvanzi tal-mara kull darba li niċċelebrawh jfakkarna f’kemm għad baqalna naqdfu biex is-socjetà ma tibqax tara lin-nisa bħala oġġett jew aċċessorju imma bħala persuna valida b’moħħ u li tmur oltre l-klassika mara tad-dar li tieħu ħsieb il-familja.
Id-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Dr Melissa Bagley qalet li biex il-mara tavvanza u tiġi stmata hemm bzonn l-impenn tal-irgiel ukoll. Id f’id nistgħu nimxu u niggwadanjaw jekk nitbegħdu minn socjetà patrijarkali u naħdmu għal socjetà aktar inklussiva u ġusta fejn kemm il-mara kif ukoll ir-raġel jaqsmu d-doveri tagħhom, fejn l-opportunitajiet ikunu ndaqs u mhux imxekkla mill-piż li mara ġġor il-familja waħidha. Għadda ż-żmien li nqisu li l-familja hi responsabbiltà esklussiva tal-mara.
Hemm bżonn li l-mentalità tinbidel ibda mill-qorti tal-familja mis-sentenzi medjokri li jingħataw fuq stupru, vjolenza u ffastidjar fuq il-post tax-xogħol bħal każ tal-orkestra nazzjonali fejn il-vittma għamlulha minn kollox biex iżżomm ħalqha magħluq imma fortunatament ma ċedietx. Wasal iż-żmien li l-mara tiftaħ ħalqha u tgħajjat biex turi dak li trid.
Hemm bżonn li r-rwol tal-mara jarawh aħjar l-awtoritajiet fejn legalment għadha taħt il-kappa tal-kap tal-familja u f’dak li għandu x’jaqsam f’taxxa il-mara għadha taħt il-ġewnaħ protettiv tar-raġel anke jekk din għandha negozju tagħha u taħdem għal rasha. Il-mara trid tkun legalment protetta mill-qrati u mill-awtoritajiet, temmet tgħid Bagley.
Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci qalet li l-ġerħa ta’ Bernice Cassar għadha wisq friska biex ninsewha u tfakkarna kemm għal mara li taqla’ s-swat u tirraporta darba, tnejn, sitt darbiet, m’hemmx riżorsi biex ngħinuha. Flus għat-tberbiq f’kuntratti korrotti imma, hemm. Biex ngħinu lin-nisa tagħna u nipproteġuhom imma ma hemmx.
Għalxejn jiġu jgħidulna li għamlu l-femmiċidju reat meta fl-aħħar mill-aħħar ma jsir xejn jew isir ftit u b’mod li jieħu ħafna ħin. Il-każ ta’ Sion li damet 18-il sena biex fl-aħħar il-familja tagħha spiċċaw bla ġustizzja, l-każ ta’ Chantelle Chetcuti li tħalliet b’sikkina f’rasha filwaqt li l-allegat qattiel tagħha jsiefer qisu qatt ma ġara xejn.
Minn wara l-qtil ta’ Bernice kuljum qed jidħlu mal-ħames rapporti ta’ vjolenza domestika. L-entità tal-problema hija ovvja. Il-qofol ta’ kollox hu li l-mara tibqa’ kkunsidrata bħala oġġett u pussess tar-raġel u li allaħares tażżarda titlaq, tirribatti jew tiftaħ ħalqha. Li jkollok sentenzi redikoli bħal dawk recenti li ngħatat sentenza sospiza mill-Magistrat Monica Vella u li tipprova tbigħha bħala xi sentenza eżemplari turi kemm l-istituzzjonijiet ma jieħdux bis-serjetà l-problema tal-vjolenza fuq in-nisa u li qed kważi jingħata l-permess li iva l-mara tista’ ssawwatha. Huma dawn l-affarijiet li hemm bżonn jitranġaw. Xbajna mir-retorika. Kullma rridu hu li ningħataw valur li nkunu stmati aktar minn għasfur, kelb u tiġieġa, temmet tgħid Gauci.