The official number of rape cases reported in Malta each year is an average of 20, but the truth shows a starkly different fact, many victims of rape suffer in silence and never speak up.
Social dialogue minister Helena Dalli quoted an EU report which showed that anywhere between 2 and 10 % of rapes go unreported, and that, in itself, speaks volumes.
The fact that we cannot even have a reliable figure shows just how much of a stigma the crime carries for a victim. Another issue which continues to be highlighted is that rape victims are often given a portion of the blame for a crime that has violated them. There are no shortage of crazy comments that have been reported in the international media to support this claim – and this from judges to police chiefs.
Even in casual conversation, men are often overheard speaking about it, and sometimes, the line “if she dresses like that, then what does she expect?”
Minister Dalli is 100 % correct in saying that a wholesale change of mentality is needed and this stems from the fact that men (not the majority) see women as possessions and sexual objects to be used as they see fit. This is so, so wrong. We see it in our country. Our male psyche is a Mediterranean one, and by default (just like Italy and France) men have a chauvinistic attitude towards women.
The Minister also highlighted that as many as 13% of teenagers experience sexual violence while out on dates in their young years. Let us be clear, sexual violence (violated – something done to you which you do not want) can be anything from groping to forcing oneself on a person.
She also spoke of a recent teenage gang-rape committed in Malta which was described by the bench as being “An act of foolishness”. No. We disagree. It was not an act of foolishness, but a horrific crime committed by a group of teenagers on a girl. It is disgusting and one wonders what kind of morals are being instilled in our youngsters.
The Minister was also remarkably frank in saying that youngsters are completely exposed to pornography. It is found everywhere and she also said something which has needed to be said for a long time, you cannot stop them watching it. However, we also agree with her in terms of the need to educate kids and tell them that what they see on the internet is not what sexual relations between a loving couple is all about. People who watch too much porn are sexually conditioned, and there is also an element of violence to porn that might play out in the real world as boys grow into men.
Their expectations will be let down, and they will also seek to re-enact what they have seen online.
Education is key and parents and specialised ‘teachers’ need to engage in frank discussions with children as they are growing up. It is also clear that our laws need to be changed. It was pointed out that Maltese law is unclear, unspecific and open to different interpretations. Maltese law also states that rape is constituted by the commencement of carnal knowledge. This is the element that distinguishes it from indecent assault. The definition of carnal knowledge is limited to penetration by sexual organs, which means that it excludes penetration by artificial means. There were also cases where forced oral sex was considered as indecent assault, and not rape.
Under Maltese law the determining factor is violence and not consent, or rather the lack of it. We need watertight laws and we need education. It is critical. Rape is a crime of the worst kind. A woman has to live with the consequences for the rest of her life.