From Ms L. Caruana

Addressing the problem of domestic violence, especially against women, is a big step forward to start eradicating violence, which is in itself social rejection of a form of violence, especially by those who have witnessed it in their own families. State intervention should not stop there.

The dignity and welfare of all people in society who wish to live in peace should be entrenched as a fundamental human right to be enjoyed by all in actual terms. The State should safeguard this all-important right through the system of justice.

Another form of horrendous crime, which unfortunately passes undetected because of the lack of a legal framework, is that of mobbing especially by women on women. It has attracted the attention of many in Europe because of its devastating effects on the family and at the workplace. The EU is doing much about it through workshops to find a common legal framework for directives. Mobbing by women has been concretised in history through films and literature not without substantial evidence of its traumatising effects, like the proverbial witch-hunt. Up to some time ago this was indistinguishable from the long list of disorders often presented at health centres. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the result of repetitive harassment using psychological violence. Mobsters are a real threat to society because of the damage they do at the workplace and in families at great cost to the health service. A mobster who abuses a position of power at the workplace, uses employees through a system of punishment and reward so that those who oppose her/him are ostracised. This causes fear and psychological stress among colleagues. The person who resorts to this type of control is usually an under-skilled person in a position of power. But it has also been found that people with particular types of personality disorders are associated with this abusive behaviour.

At family level it is even worse because the malfunctioning personality of a family bully can cause great stress and harm to other members. Such a person usually goes undetected because he/she is pathologically concerned about acting without evidence in such a rigorous way that normal people would find too cumbersome and uncomfortable to abide by on a daily basis; or being even more violent by making private threats. This does not only happen between couples. The mobster, who is usually a mentally sick person, may wield such imaginary power that he/she is capable of abusing other relatives, the extended family. Sometimes theft is combined with this kind of abusive behaviour to impoverish the hated target. When this type of behaviour is carried to extremes it could constitute a serious threat.

This is where awareness of such disorders should be addressed not only through the judicial system but also through presentation of cases such as these at the police station, health centres, social work and NGOs.

Lina Caruana

TARXIEN