President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and her Kosovar counterpart Atifete Jahjaga yesterday took part in a very interesting seminar highlighting the plight f women who suffer sexual violence as a result of war.

The President said that while wars do bring about such behaviour, even modern European Union member states have a problem in terms of women being subjected to sexual and physical violence, particularly in the troubled strata of society.

She is right. Malta has moved forward in leaps and bounds in the last couple of decades. Only 20-dd years ago, women were expected to suffer in silence and go about their wifely duties, while at the same time being subjected to harrowing daily ordeals.

This is not to say that violence against women has been wiped out. The courts and the police in Malta have also moved with the times. Women are given much more protection than they used to be.

But we still have situations where women have to flee their matrimonial home, sometimes with their children, with just the clothes on their back. It comes to a critical juncture when abused women realise that they cannot take any more and need a safe haven. Often, it is their concern for their offspring that drives them to it, rather than concern for their own safety.

Another issue which Malta has had to contend with is the influx of African people. To curb any potential abuse, it was parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne, who had the foresight to put forward a private members bill while still a backbencher, to move legislation banning female genital mutilation.

The bill was passed and Malta has outlawed the practice, even if it takes place abroad. This is all positive, and continues to bolster our approach to empowering women. Unfortunately, though, there are still women who suffer in silence on a daily basis.

The key to stopping abuse is to talk about it, and then talk about it some more. Awareness is only brought about if a topic is really put on the agenda. Some might believe that it is simply lip service. But it is not. The only way to really pressure society into adopting a zero tolerance attitude towards violence against women is to keep talking about it.

Every society harbours some elements of misogyny, and ultimately it is up to parents to offer the right kind of environment and morals and values to prevent such behaviour from emerging in men later in life.

But schools also need to be on board with educational programmes from a young age. That information campaign needs to continue in public at every possible opportunity to create a society where it is accepted that violence has no place in any home.

While on the matter, it must also be pointed out that there are some men who are also subjected to violence by their partners. This is even more taboo and men are often laughed at or told that they should be able to ‘deal with it’. The truth behind that one is that many men might be able to deal with it, at least physically, but they do not want to commit an act of violence to counter another one, be it caused by alcohol, drugs or any other reason. Others simply don’t want to end up in the dock in court.

There are still a number of people in our society who are vulnerable, we owe it to ourselves and to our society to try and stamp out all forms of violence, against men and women.