Beyond the hype and the hysteria following the predicament of leader of the Opposition, Dr Adrian Delia, in regard to allegations of domestic abuse, we are faced with a stark and painful reality.  That of his children. 

Whether or not the leaks of the videos where deliberately done to raise awareness of the children's plight or not, the content is the same and cannot be ignored.

In days gone by, many young children suffered humiliation and bullying at school and grew up with a false picture of who they should be and what they could be.  It was cruel and very difficult to overcome the damage inflicted.  We hear a lot about bullying and how harmful it is and how we should do all we can to stop it.  Humanity is coming closer to realizing how we must care and accept our fellow beings and how important it is to respect and be honest and kind to one another.

And yet, around us and at this very time, we are witnessing children being humiliated and bullied and made to the feel guilty about something they are innocent of.  Enlightenment seems to have by-passed our island and especially those who should know better.  Parents, institution leaders, political persons, even women. 

Those videos were made for a reason.   How they got out is not so important.  But the fact that they exist is a cry for help that should not be ignored.  In no way does it mean that the victims do not love their father and mother or that they have any other ulterior motive than that of showing the truth and letting their voice be heard.  It took awareness and self-respect to realise that what they were experiencing could be very wrong.  Abuse can be verbal and psychological as many who have been nearly destroyed by, say, a narcissistic parent or partner can verify. 

In a totally regressive and pathetic mentality, many who judge immediately fall onto the stereo-types of it's the woman's fault and where the man is concerned, its "who are we to judge" and that it's a private matter.  And with the excuse of protecting the children, they claim that privacy is needed.  Let us not confuse a personal matter with a private matter.  Once it affects others, whoever they may be, the personal becomes public and so, no longer private.  That's why we have Courts. 

What a betrayal.  What a total betrayal of women and children, desperate for the truth to come out.  It takes a lot of courage, when you are in a vulnerable position, to take action and distinguish between right and wrong and stand up to those you even love but who have hurt you and continue to hurt you.

This silent, still at the time personal, reality was being exposed at the same time as 49 men, women and children who had the unlucky fortune to have missed the longitude and latitude needed to secure them a rescue to the next safe port, were stranded at sea, in the cold and with no hope in sight of a compassionate safe harbour.  No room at the inn, they were told. 

Again, a brutal demonstration of the double standards and dismal politics of this island.  A politics of fear, of abuse of power and false grandeur.  And what little faith in diplomacy and dialogue as a means of progress for the good of humanity, that a strongly worded statement could not have been sufficient to make the point about the issue, without resorting to blackmail and playing with lives.  Someone, now, should remove that knot sculpture from castile and put a guillotine instead.  Because, really, we are living in medieval times. 

It started with the "witch" and continued the narrative by pouring bile and vindictiveness onto defenceless and abused women and children.  Each time the candles and flowers are removed from the Great Seige monument is another time this government of shame is abusing its own people. Instrumentalising grief, justice, institutions to play politics.  The good of the country is wiped aside for the sake of macho pride.  Did they feel humiliated and now they take revenge?  Only, they forget that they were accountable to the people and a journalist's job is to remind them about that, not by spreading lies but by revealing their contradictions and investigating wrong behavior. If they are offended they can correct their ways.  Saying the truth is a service that not many people are ready to assume. Few do so and are discarded like trash.

We, the people, from whichever political party we support or don't support, say enough is enough.  Get you act together and stop abusing, humiliating, bullying and fighting.  Enough with the sickening corruption.  Peace is not about donating to l-istrina or hosting a bogus conference in Malta in order to benefit from funds.  There is no peace in divisiveness.

Peace begins at home and political leaders have the responsibility and the honour to reflect that, at all times and ensure peace for the country, justice and rightfulness.  They should prevent crime, uphold true and honest values that build up the image of its citizens and as a nation. They should fight poverty and work to instill pride in its people to be respected as a mature, developed, reasonable and compassionate country.  A country is not seen as developed because it has plundered the land and replaced historic buildings and spaces with cement towers and removed trees for horse-power.  A developed country leads by good example and rises above real-politik to a higher purpose.

So, forget privacy, forget defending those who fail to respect the role they have been given and defy the rules if need be, by saying "not in my name'.  Murder did not do it, the stench of corruption did not do it, suffering of our neighbor did not do it.  Maybe the children can do it.  Just maybe.