The 25th of November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Once again, women from different organisations and from different walks of life organised a rally in Valletta to express their collective anger at the culture of violence that permeates our society. The theme chosen for this year is Her Plight, Our Fight, because the suffering, the oppression, the abuse, the murder of every woman in society make us stronger to continue fighting against this wound in our society.
Gender-based violence and abuse is widespread in our patriarchal society where women tend to be the worst victims. Women suffer violence in all its forms, not only in the domestic sphere by their partners or relatives, but also in the public sphere, such as when they are raped or killed in the street or public places, trafficked to work in the sex industry, abused by their employers, neglected by politicians, disrespected by the justice system, and ignored by the police and sent to their death by a society which does not care enough. Women are abused by men physically, sexually, morally, psychologically, economically, politically in their everyday lives because society is not doing enough to protect women and to fight the violence.
By joining together for this rally, we wanted to show that we care and that we want change. We wanted to send a clear message that the plight of every woman in society is our fight, and that our fight will continue until our streets, our homes, our places of work, are safe for us. We will continue to fight until the authorities invest in the fight against gender-based violence, until the police force recognises the seriousness of this problem and starts taking women seriously when they report abuse and feel threatened by men, until the justice system realises the needless suffering that victims of violence and their families go through by the inefficiencies and the injustices of the system. We have seen sentences handed down which do not make any sense and long years of waiting for action to be taken or for justice to be served, such as in the case of Sion Grech, which caused a great deal of suffering to victims or their loved ones. We have witnessed women who continually reported their vulnerable situation but ended up being murdered because the system did not care enough to protect them against their aggressor.
Gender-based violence is a scourge in society which we need to fight together. Over the past decades, Malta has witnessed the murder of 32 women by male aggressors, most of whom were intimate partners. Intimate partner violence is one of the worst and most widespread forms of violence against women. The ugly impact of violence is not only experienced by the victims but by their children, their families and close friends. Until we confront this problem seriously and fight it with all our strength, women, including trans women, will continue to experience fear and insecurity when they walk in the streets, when they are at work, or at home where they are supposed to feel safest. Unless we join forces and fight to make our society free of gender-based violence, women will continue to be the main victims of sexual abuse, trafficking, intimidation, fear, harassment, rape, stalking, murder, porn and cyberbullying.
During the rally, demonstrators held banners and placards with messages against gender-based violence. There were also readings on the topic and a speech by a representative from Moviment Graffitti. Professor Marceline Naudi and Alessia Cilia, a sister of one of the victims, also contributed to the activity. The activists also put up a symbolic visual installation to commemorate women who were victims of femicide in the past years in Malta.
The rally was organised by Moviment Graffitti and YPB and endorsed by the following organisations:
aditus foundation
Dance Beyond Borders
Department of Gender and Sexualities
Fidem
Humanists Malta
IVY – Interrupting Violence towards Youth
Malta Women’s Lobby
Marceline Naudi
MGRM
SOAR
Women for Women Foundation
Women’s Rights Foundation (WRF)
YMCA
Żminijietna – Voice of the Left
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L-Uġigħ Tagħha, Il-Ġlieda Tagħna
Il-25 ta’ Novembru huwa l-Jum Internazzjonali kontra l-Vjolenza fuq in-Nisa. Għal darb’oħra, nisa minn organizzazzjonijiet differenti u minn oqsma differenti tal-ħajja organizzaw dimostrazzjoni ġewwa l-Bert biex jesprimu r-rabja kollettiva tagħhom għall-kultura ta’ vjolenza li hija mifruxa fis-soċjetà tagħna. It-tema li ġiet magħżula din is-sena hija L-Uġigħ Tagħha, Il-Ġlieda Tagħna, għaliex is-sofferenza, l-oppressjoni, l-abbuż, il-qtil li ġġarrab kull mara fis-soċjetà, isaħħuna biex inkomplu niġġieldu kontra din il-ferita fis-soċjetà tagħna.
Il-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru hija mifruxa fis-soċjetà patrijarkali tagħna, fejn in-nisa huma l-ikbar vittmi. In-nisa jesperjenzaw il-vjolenza f’kull forma tagħha, mhux biss fil-qasam domestiku mis-sieħba u l-qraba tagħhom, imma wkoll fil-qasam pubbliku, bħal meta jkunu stuprati jew maqtula fit-triq jew fi spazji pubblċi, meta jiġu traffikati għall-industrija tas-sess, abbużati minn min iħaddimhom, abbandunati mill-politiċi, diżrispettati mis-sistema tal-ġustizzja, injorati mill-pulizija u mibgħuta għall-mewt minn soċjetà li ma jimpurtahiex biżżejjed. In-nisa jiġu abbużati mill-irġiel fiżikament, sesswalment, moralment, psikoloġikament, economikament, politikament, fil-ħajja tagħhom ta’ kuljum għax is-soċjetà mhux qed tagħmel biżżejjed biex tipproteġi n-nisa u biex tiġġieled il-vjolenza.
Ingħaqadna flimkien għal din id-dimostrazzjoni, għax ridna nuru li aħna jimpurtana u li rridu l-bidla. Ridna ngħaddu messaġġ ċar li l-uġigħ ta’ kull mara fis-soċjetà huwa l-ġlieda tagħna, u li l-ġlieda tagħna se tkompli sakem it-toroq tagħna, id-djar tagħna, il-postijiet fejn naħdmu jkunu siguri għalina. Se nibqgħu niġġieldu sakemm l-awtoritajiet jagħrfu kemm hi serja din il-problema u jibdew jieħdu lin-nisa bis-serjetà meta jirrappurtaw l-abbuż u li qegħdin jħossuhom mhedda minn xi raġel; sakemm is-sistema ġudizzjarja tagħraf is-sofferenza li jkollhom jgħaddu minnha l-vittmi tal-vjolenza u l-familjari tagħhom minħabba l-ineffiċjenza u l-inġustizzji tas-sistema. Rajna sentenzi mogħtija li ma jagħmlux sens u snin twal ta’ stennija biex tittieħed xi forma ta’ azzjoni jew biex issir ġustizzja, bħal fil-każ ta’ Sion Grech, affarijiet li jikkawżaw ħafna tbatija għall-vittmi u għal dawk li jħobbuhom. Rajna nisa li rrappurtaw kontinwament is-sitwazzjoni vulnerabbli tagħhom imma xorta spiċċaw maqtula għax is-sistema ma kienx jimpurtaha biżżejjed biex tipproteġihom kontra l-aggressuri tagħhom.
Il-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru hija ferita fis-soċjetà tagħna li hemm bżonn niġġildulha flimkien. F’dawn l-aħħar snin, Malta rat il-qtil ta’ 32 mara minn aggressuri rġiel, li ħafna drabi kienu s-sieħba tagħhom. Il-vjolenza minn sieħba intimi hija waħda mill-iktar forom ta’ vjolenza komuni fuq in-nisa. L-impatt ikraħ tal-vjolenza mhux il-vittmi biss iħossuh imma wliedhom, il-familji tagħhom u ħbiebhom. Sakemm mhux se nikkonfrontaw din il-problema bis-serjetà, u b’kemm għandna saħħa, in-nisa, inkluż nisa trans, se jkomplu jgħixu bil-biża’ u bl-inċertezza fit-toroq tagħna, fuq il-postijiet tax-xogħol, jew fi djarhom fejn suppost l-iktar li jħossuhom siguri. Jekk mhux se ningħaqdu flimkien u niġġieldu biex neħilsu lis-soċjetà tagħna mill-vjolenza abbażi tal-ġeneru, in-nisa se jibqgħu jkunu vittma tal-abbuż sesswali, tat-traffikar, tal-intimidazzjoni, tal-biża’, tal-fastidju, tal-istupru, tal-istalking, tal-qtil, tal-pornografija u tal-ibbuljar online.
Waqt id-dimostrazzjoni, in-nies fil-folla żammew kartelluni u banners b’messaġġi kontra l-vjolenza fuq in-nisa. Kien hemm ukoll qari ta’ poeżiji u proża fuq is-suġġett u diskors minn rappreżentanta tal-Moviment Graffitti. Il-Professur Marceline Naudi u Alessia Cilia, oħt waħda mill-vittmi ukoll taw il-kontribut tagħhom. Waqt id-dimostrazzjoni l-attivisti għamlu installazzjoni viżwali biex ifakkru lin-nisa li sfaw vittma tal-femmiċidju fis-snin li għaddew.
Id-dimostrazzjoni kienet organizzata mill-Moviment Graffitti u l-Young Progressive Beings u ġiet appoġġjata mill-organizzazzjonijiet li ġejjin:
aditus foundation
Dance Beyond Borders
Department of Gender and Sexualities
Fidem
Humanists Malta
IVY – Interrupting Violence towards Youth
Malta Women’s Lobby
Marceline Naudi
MGRM
SOAR
Women for Women Foundation
Women’s Rights Foundation (WRF)
YMCA
Żminijietna – Voice of the Left
