Bernice Cassar's sister has issued a call to action following the murder of Nicolette Ghirxi.

Alessia Cilia took to social media on Monday and spoke about the similarities between the two tragedies. "On 22 November 2022, my sister Bernice became a statistic, a victim of femicide. A beautiful life was cut short, leaving our family shattered. The grief is overwhelming, but what weighs heaviest on my heart is the knowledge that her death could have been prevented," Cilia said.

"Last Monday, Nicolette's life was brutally taken. Her story, tragically, mirrors my sister's: a cry for help that went unanswered, a system that failed to protect her, and a society that allowed her to slip through the cracks."

Bernice Cassar was killed in broad daylight at the Corradino Industrial Estate, Paola, where she worked, being shot twice after having been dragged out of her car in November 2022. Her estranged husband, Roderick, has been charged with the femicide of his wife, and is pleading not guilty. Cilia had filed domestic violence reports to the police prior to her death. Nicolette Ghirxi was found dead inside her Swatar apartment early on Monday 12th August, and is believed to have been murdered by Edward Johnston, whom she had previously been in a relationship with. Johnston was later killed in a standoff with the police in St Julian's as he pointed a replica firearm at officers. Ghirxi had previously contacted the police regarding  harassment emails she received from Johnston. 

Alessia Cilia wrote that the pain of her sister's loss resurfaced with Nicolette's death bringing with it the "raw frustration, helplessness and anger" that she and her family carried for nearly two years.

 She explained that, "out of respect" she waited until Nicolette was laid to rest before taking to social media and said that it's time to ask the hard questions that must be answered if more senseless deaths are to be prevented.

"The Police Commissioner informed us that Nicolette had refused a risk assessment in April, as though this single fact absolves the system of its responsibility. But I ask: Was the risk assessment offered again when she lodged subsequent reports or sought help? Was her most recent contact with the police not a desperate cry for help?"

"We need more than just statistics about the number of women who lodge reports. We need answers. We need to understand what went wrong. How it is that women who have the courage to reach out to the police are still being lost? Why is it that after my sister's death and now Nicolette's, the only response is the same rehearsed strategy? Is the Commissioner truly suggesting that statistics of women saved are supposed to comfort the families of those who have just lost a loved one?"

Cilia said that for the police department to increase the number of officers in the unit, provide more training, or even offer risk assessments is merely their duty. She said""What we need now are not numbers or political promises. We need accountability. We need to know why, despite the claim that 70% of the recommendations from the ministerial inquiry into my sister's murder have been implemented, women are still losing their lives. . Why are victims, like Nicolette, being blamed for not undergoing risk assessments, rather than being given the protection and support they desperately need?"

Women who report domestic violence are not merely statistics; they are mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends, she said. "They are human beings who deserve to live without fear, who deserve to be heard and protected. Yet time and again, their voices are drowned out by bureaucracy, indifference, and a lack of urgency."

"This is a call to action for those in positions of power, for law enforcement, for social services, and for every person who hears the cry of a woman in distress: Do not wait until it is too late. Listen to them. Believe them. Act swiftly to protect them. The cost of inaction is too high. My sister's death, Nicolette's death, and the deaths of countless others should not be in vain."

"To Nicolette's family and friends: I am so deeply sorry for your loss. Your life, like mine, has unfortunately been irrevocably changed. I won't lie to you in an attempt to ease your grief. This process will be hard, and time won't make it any better. Your pain will linger and grow, and you will feel lost and unable to function whenever anything remotely similar happens. Nicolette, Bernice, and all the other lovely women die again each time another sister is murdered, and with each new tragedy, you will find yourself grieving all over again. Please, seek support. Many compassionate professionals can help you, but understand that even they cannot take away the pain. Lean on them, lean on each other, and know that you are not alone."