Hit and rape

Last Tuesday was International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Children's Day was five days earlier. Both days were celebrated locally in the wake of the exposure of a series of sexual violence cases in Malta and Gozo.

There was the case of the 61-year-old man found guilty of repeatedly raping his partner's nine-year-old daughter. As it transpired, the kartanzjan holder was having intercourse with the girl six times a week and "enhanced" the experience by coercing her to watch pornographic movies with him. Needless to say, the paltry seven-year prison sentence he got upset many people. The pensioner was only exposed because the girl plucked up enough courage to speak to her teacher. I hate to think how many other children are going through such wretched experiences and are afraid to speak up. But this merely confirms what we already know: that some people are monstrous and those around them are compelled to lead desperate lives.

Also in the press was the declaration made by Chief Justice Vincent de Gaetano who spoke of evidence that in the alleged case of the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in a house in Gozo there appeared to be pressure and money offered so that the victim would not testify in court.

As reported in this newspaper: "This court cannot fail to observe that, in this case, it seems that there have been many manoeuvres by people who had an interest to see that the case does not reach the courts. It seems that, before the accused were charged in court, money even changed hands in order for there to be a forfeiture of the prosecution". The people referred to by the Chief Justice included lawyers and a Catholic priest. That's Catholic Malta and Gozo for us.

Another report revealed how a 34-year-old man told his autistic daughter to "kiss mummy goodbye" because he was going to stab mummy to death after a failed attempt to murder her 10 years ago, for which he had been jailed. Coming out of prison after a 14-month term, the violence continued; he was thus returned to jail. Once out of prison again, he relapsed once more: "I stabbed her and would do it again," he famously reiterated. To this, one must add that the man had also been found guilty of raping a 15- year-old girl 20 years ago.

This is what reaches the newsrooms; there is more of this reality unfolding while you are reading this piece but victims are reluctant and afraid to speak up and in some cases they do not even realise that this bestial treatment is inhuman and illegal.

These horrid experiences become a way of life for the victims, especially in the case of children who may not know a different life, and they accept it as their lot.

International studies show that only four per cent of violence against women is reported. In the case of sexual violence, local data shows us that between 2005 and 2007 there were 31 registered cases of rape: seven cases in 2005, 13 cases in 2006 and 11 cases in 2007. One rapist was imprisoned; four rapists were given a suspended sentence and 25 cases are pending in court.

Marcelline Naudi, president of the Commission for Domestic Violence, is to be commended for bringing together the stakeholders in a conference Working Together To Combat Domestic Violence. Keynote speaker Judge Silvia Thaller emphasised that "We have to stand up to the belittlement of violence against women and children".

Do we need cases like the above-mentioned and others, such as, for example, Jane Gerada's (remember her?), who was stabbed to death, acid poured over her dying body by her partner, to realise that violence on women and children - whether it's physical, sexual, psychological or emotional - is much, much more than about family arguments? And that more and more needs to be done, for instance with regard to the training of police officers who are the first persons to come in contact with the victms? And that perpetrators need professional psychological help? If left untreated a violent person will only find other victims when he leaves prison, if he is jailed at all, that is.

Social Policy Minister John Dalli pointed out during the conference that cases lodged in the Police Incident Report System have doubled from 2005 before the Domestic Violence Act came into force. Pity that it took this government seven years to present to Parliament a law drafted by Labour in 1998. I wonder how many years it will take, this time round, for the government to address outstanding issues of education and effective protection for victims of violence.

The author is a Labour member of Parliament.