There are some horrid fairytales we should never tell our children. Like the one that it’s a man’s world. It’s a horror story that we should never poison young minds with.
A man’s world is one where our girls have few women to look up to. It’s one where our boys never quite grow up because they feel there are no women to respect.
Empowering women isn’t just about getting women to claim what’s rightfully theirs. It’s also about enabling men to enjoy co-responsibility with women, to shed the mask of power and illusion of control.
The world is far from there yet. The insecurities of some men feed monstrously on women. Certain types of violence, not least domestic violence, continue to affect women disproportionately.
It was a good step that, last week, Parliament ratified the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women as well as domestic violence generally. It was not the first step, since Malta had adopted various aspects of this convention in previous years.
And it can’t be the last. Even with a woman President, nine women MPs and four MEPs, we still need to see more women in top managerial and decision-making positions.
Let our girls have women to look up to – a range as wide as girls’ talents are versatile. Let our boys have women to respect – a spectrum as colourful as boys’ boisterous enthusiasms.
Diabetes and emotional literacy
Emotions are often downgraded as distracting from the proper handling of an issue. Sometimes that’s true. But, more often than not, being able to read one’s emotions is a necessary step to a rational, determined approach to a challenge.
Diabetes is a case in point. There is a parliamentary committee founded on a personal initiative of Simon Busuttil. It’s an issue close to my heart – my daughter has Type 1 diabetes – and of course I am a member of this bipartisan group.
I believe my experience helps all the members to understand the daily plight of living with diabetes. Such understanding is essential to tackling a fundamental aspect of the condition – the social dimension. Misconceptions about living with diabetes can needlessly complicate the condition. As I often tell my daughter, “Diabetes is not a problem: we make it a problem.” And that’s no fairytale.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t work on prevention. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented through wiser life-style choices. And if there were better understanding of the financial burden that diabetes-related health complications place on our health budget, we would see that providing the best treatment to all patients turns out to be the most economic option.
Who will watch during the summer slumber?
Last Sunday, Simon Busuttil gave a sign of things to come. On Twitter he posted what I consider to be a strong message: “‘Isn't it time for Sunday sermons by party leaders to stop? I say it is and I will go first.”
Muscat, on the other hand, still felt the need to preach “negativity”. I must admit that, when he decides to spin a line, he doesn’t give it up easily.
Back to Dr Busuttil: this is the kind of leadership our country needs. His message was short but pointed. He took his lead from people’s summer sentiments.
Summer did not just knock on our door. After teasing us for a couple of weeks, it is now making itself at home. With this heat, the World Cup kick-off and the island in festa mode, politics should withdraw into the background for the next few months.
However, that doesn’t mean we don’t need watchmen. Distraction from the political scenario can give our Government a free hand to reign as it pleases. Who will watch? Can we count on journalists to keep all politicians in check by investigating all issues concerning which the public has a right to know?
Claudette Buttigieg MP – [email protected], twitter: @ButClaudette