ADPD - The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo and Deputy Secretary General Sandra Gauci said today that the party stands in solidarity with victims of violence, rape, harassment and femicide, and their families. They expressed support with the organisations forming Għajjejt u Xbajt which are shining a light on this matter.
Sandra Gauci said:“Femicide is the murder of a woman, where the target was always the murder of a woman. It not only includes physical violence but also rape. It is the fruit of misogyny which is the hate towards anything feminine. Sadly in Malta we are not immune to it and the murder of Paulina Dembska, yet another episode of violence and murder, has brought to light this malaise.”
Sandra Gauci added:”Everyday somewhere in this country, a woman must go through her normal errands in life, or go to her home, with the feeling of being under imminent danger: a danger which can happen at any time. The perpetrator could be anyone: from someone close to us to a stranger. This constant living on alert has become something which many women have become used to. Couple this with reports of harassment or violence not being taken seriously or the victim being passed off as a liar and you have the perfect recipe for despair.”
“By acknowledging that femicide is real, we are giving visibility to this problem. Justice Minister Zammit Louis should realise that words are important, that that specific types of crimes are recognised at law gives a message that there is a problem. We are not invisible. We are half the population. As a party we demand that femicide be recognized at law as we cannot keep our heads in the sand any longer. Women need protection. Let us offer it to them.”