Sarah Carabott
NGOs call for ‘hate crime’ to also cover anti-gay acts
An attack on a 16-year-old lesbian yesterday provoked calls for the concept of gay hate crime to be included in Maltese laws.
“In many countries, such an assault would be investigated as a hate crime but Malta has yet to extend hate crime legislation to include the grounds of homophobia and transphobia,” the Malta Gay Rights Movement and the human rights lobby Aditus said in a joint statement.
Their reaction, accompanied by that of hundreds of people on the internet, came after The Sunday Times reported on the attack in which the girl, pseudonymously named Amy, and her girlfriend were beaten in Ħamrun specifically because of their sexual orientation.
The petite teenager ended up at a health centre with a fractured nose, a grazed face and bruises on her breasts. Her girlfriend got away with a bruise to the head and scratches on her wrists which she sustained when pushed to the ground.
“Violence on lesbian, gay and transexual people is not an uncommon occurrence although most incidents do not get reported to the police or featured in newspapers.
“Trust in the police force is an essential factor in encouraging and enabling LGBT victims to come forward and report such crimes. For this reason, how the police react to this assault also has an effect on the reporting of other similar incidents,” they said.
In fact, Amy’s mother told The Sunday Times that, although the police had spoken to the perpetrators, brothers aged about 17 and 19, they had not been arrested. Questions sent to the police on Thursday, asking whether they would be charged, remained unanswered despite various reminders.
The incident provoked an immediate response online with a group set up on Facebook – The Amy Initiative – garnering more than 300 endorsements in less than six hours.
“Amy is a pseudonym used in the article but Amy could be anyone: your sister, cousin, brother, uncle. Homophobia is real in Malta. There is no excuse for it, don’t let it go ignored,” the group states under its information section.
The initiative is also calling for Maltese laws to include hate crime on the basis of sexual orientation.
The NGOs also expressed concern over allegations of harassment experienced by the victim at school when her sexual orientation became known.
They urged the Education Department of Educational Services to investigate the claims.
The Drachma Parents’ Group – a support group for relatives of LGBT people – called on the Maltese and the Christian community to take stronger action against homophobic remarks and stand up in defence of victims harassed because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The support group urged the authorities and the police to stop this violence by ensuring justice and compensation, and the Curia to issue a strong statement “in the face of such un-Christian and aggressive behaviour and show that it is on the side of homosexuals, ‘who must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 2358)”.
Alternattiva Demokratika, We Are, a university LGBT organisation, and the Nationalist Party’s youth group – MŻPN – also urged action.
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Joe Xuereb
Jan 23rd, 21:45
Let us get one thing straight here. 'Amy' was assaulted - and continues to be because homosexual people are vilified all the time, if not physically abused as in her case. As a homosexual child (yes, you read right, a person's sexuality awakens when they are still young teenagers, i.e. children - she does not stand much chance of sympathy other than her good fortune in having decent parents. Oh she will get lots of sympathy, and love, and prayers from mealy-mouthed bigots spouting nonsense who, in their heart of hearts, view her with contempt. Because they are expected to. And these would not necessarily be regular churchgoers as indoctrination runs deep. So love the sinner but hate the sin is, I'm afraid, yet another load of steaming bull faeces freshly dropped.
A show of affection between men is frowned upon at least by State and Church; indeed the Church says it is sinful. And violence from men upon men is, quite rightly, 'discouraged'. But not, it seems, if there is some gain to be had. I am thinking of warfare by whoever wages it, East or West, too big a debate for this column here. And more specifically, the butchering of men by other men in the Boxing Ring. Big money there with young boys and big men baying for more. This is institutionalised violence presented as sport. I do not recall either the State or the Church condemning this barbarism. So the Church can say it loves me all it cares but other than that, it ain't delivering much. Besides, the Church has enough sexual matters on its plate so now is not the right time to appear to care much for homosexuality, if nothing else because it is rife within its cloisters. And it is so because I am telling you so, because I know. I am not overly keen on guesswork. And to all the young gay blades out there struggling with their sexuality, do not be so concerned with whoever says they love you. Learn instead to love yourselves and you can start off by seeing that there but for the grace of god, you could have been a hot-bloodied straight thug, a no-hoper going nowhere. There, see! you feel better already.
When I was a kid they used to say that Malta was a hundred years behind the times. Why is this still so? Indeed, why is Malta living in the Medieval Age in some respects. And why, in god's name, is a police officer indifferent to a young lesbian's plight? Has this anything to do with the way HE views women, and lesbians in particular? Just food for thought, that's all.
F Goodwin
Jan 23rd, 15:37
This is an extremely important initiative, however I hope this incident will also raise consciousness about the corruption of the police force in Malta. What happened to 'Amy' was illegal even under current legislation, but the law was not enforced. Why did the police protect the perpetrator and deem 'Amy' unworthy of the protection she is entitled to? The initial assault was disgusting enough, but the contempt shown by the police in refusing to arrest the perpetrators assaults her dignity all over again.
I agree hate crime legislation should absolutely cover homophobic acts, but we also need to look at the accountability of the police. This young woman should NOT have had to go to the media to motivate the police to do their duty. (And I sincerely hope she won't be arrested for 'disturbing the peace,' like the British girl who reported an assault in Paceville!) If this is the response we expect from the authorities, serious crime will continue to go unreported, feeding into the utterly false perception that Malta is a 'safe' place. No one is safe as long as the police are allowed to exercise their power in an arbitrary manner.
Ms. P.M Graham
Jan 23rd, 14:18
Would a hate crime law make any difference. Would it encourage more people to come forward to report crimes?
A crime/assault on a 16 year old is as shocking to me as an 82 year old being robbed in her own home but then i remember what was said to me many years ago when i was trying to understand hate crimes law:
**Is there a difference between an overly zealous sports fan spray-painting his team's opponent's stadium & someone spraypainting a swastika on a synagogue?**
Will including gay hate crimes into the Maltese Law stop attacks against gays? No, but it will send a message to the community at large that the Maltese believe these crimes to be unacceptable
Corey Mondello
Jan 23rd, 13:49
In the USA, ALL minorities EXCEPT gays are protected by special rights, allowed exemptions from many laws, are allowed tax breaks,and many other special priveledges. This includes black people, woman, Christians, immigrants, the disabled, etc. Only those with "special rights" question why those who are not treated equally, when they want to be treated equally. The more religious a country is, the less equal the citizens are treated, the more income equality there is and the less happy the citizens are. Its a shame that Christians, onced tossed into lion pits for entertainment, and being the minority at that time, were allowed to become equals by the very types of people who are fighting for equality for all people today. Shame liberal-minded people had to help so many minorites in the past, these are the same people that act the most ignorant about equality.
P Bonnici
Jan 23rd, 15:13
The last country I would copy for gay rights is the USA and Iran!
Charmaine Marmara'
Jan 23rd, 13:36
now i have a 15 year old daughter ....and i am imagining if what happened to Amy , happens to her or to one of her friends ....being gay or not ,it doesnt matter ....either those 2 boys pay for what they ve done or i would take justice in my own hands !!!
James Tyrrell
Jan 23rd, 13:20
Amy has the right to live her life any way she chooses without interference from anyone in the same way as the two people involved in beating her up have the right to be scum. They have chosen to be scum and by so doing they need to be made to understand that ordinary people don't like scum in their lives. The police are there to protect every section of society from violence no matter what their sexual beliefs are and if the police refuse to take action against these scum then the police should be taken to court for failing in their duty and the officers involved should lose their jobs immediately. The police must be made to understand that there is more to the job than standing outside the police station with a cigarette in their mouth.
Steve Sant
Jan 23rd, 12:12
There are already enough laws to place these 'bullies' in jail, its the law and the way they are dished out that is unfair. What do you expect and ant-law for every eventuality, ant-black anti-white, anti-religion, anti-clever. Whatever would they think of next. Its not the law, the the way the laws are dealt with that counts. People get away with murder. A court case against human rights has been at court since 1976, imagine that. We need people to make our laws count, not create more rediculous one's.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Jan 23rd, 12:43
Most European countries have anti-hate laws. So are they all stupid and wating their time? Cannot you see that the basis of this crime is simply the sexual orientation of this girl? Should not that be punishable?
joe galea
Jan 23rd, 11:49
Maghndekx ghagla sur ministru biex taghmel il - ligi Franco ghandu ragun!!!!!!!!!
Jen Fenech
Jan 23rd, 11:42
qas irrid nemmen x'qed naqra ta! jien għax irrid nasal f'punt li nagħmel ġustizzja b'idi?? Il-ġustizzja ta' Malta meta beħsiebha tibda tagħmel xogħolha???
kieku Amy binti għax għandi nibża' nafdaha fit-triq!!
ara kif ġibnieh pajjiż ta! ħadd ma jħalli lil ħaddieħor jgħix fil-paċi... jekk int sexy jittantawk, jekk gay isawtuk, l-iskola bullying bl-addoċċ, annimal isallbuh... moħħok mhu mistrieħ qatt!
A D'Ascola
Jan 23rd, 11:40
The fact that a crime with no victims gets you 10 years in prison (ref Daniel Holmes) and a hate, violent and cowardly crime such as this does not get you arrested says a lot about the legal system in our country....and the dragging of feet on such important issues!
A Spiteri
Jan 23rd, 09:53
This case should be treated as any other violent act!
The fact that she’s a lesbian shouldn’t make this case different from any other assault case. It is stupid to even consider pushing for a new law that elevates any incident that may involve gays.
It is part of the agenda of all those organisations mentioned in this report to push for minority groups’ special rights and if that happens, it means a proper onslaught on Individual Rights.
Stanley Colombo
Jan 23rd, 10:43
Exactly. Being gay does not entitle anyone to any more or less rights.
Ramon Casha
Jan 23rd, 10:43
WHAT INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS? The right to beat someone up?
The Amy Initiative
Jan 23rd, 10:48
A Spiteri
There are hate crime laws in order to protect the more vulnerable citizens of a country - the current laws cover people with disabilities for example.
This case makes it more than clear that , in 'Amy's' case, being lesbian made her more vulnerable. This vulnerability is a real issue within the LGBT community. The 'Agenda' you refer to is nothing more that our wish to feel safe within our home country.
The Amy Initiative
Cornelius Murphy
Jan 23rd, 11:31
@ A Spiteri
It's not at all about homosexual people deserving special rights, but about them being more vulnerable and needing better protection from ignorant, violent people with a backward mentality.
Mike Hunt
Jan 23rd, 12:01
@Amy Initiative - I wouldn't say that gays deserve extra protection because they are more vulnerable. How are gays more vulnerable? Have a few gay mates who are as hard as nails.
The problem here is that over and above an act of violence this was a hate crime because this lady happened to be gay or jewish or black or atheist or whatever. Besides being an assault on an individual it is compounded by an assault on society, an attempt to coerce a way of life (homophobia) through violence.
Think Nazism, the KKK, Apartheid, Zionism, Islamic fundamentalism, ....
The Amy Initiative
Jan 23rd, 14:50
@Mike Hunt
"@Amy Initiative - I wouldn't say that gays deserve extra protection because they are more vulnerable. How are gays more vulnerable? Have a few gay mates who are as hard as nails."
Sorry if I wasn't clear - by more vulnerable I didn't mean weaker. I am by no means describing gay people as 'soft' - I meant that they are more liable to be targeted.
Martin Saliba
Jan 23rd, 15:09
Our courts make a distinction between robbing a person and robbing an elderly person even though in both cases a person was robbed. It should be the same for attaking a girl and attacking a girl because she is gay. This case should be treated as a hate crime.
Ken Cowan
Jan 23rd, 09:45
In some countries newspapers help get something done by going to the school and interviewing the Director and the teachers, by insisting on an interview with the Police Chiefs, by keeping the "heat" on so that something MUST be done. The public has a right to know WHO the perpetrators are, even if the police have been lax in their duties, no?
Or perhaps the law in Malta protects them more than the victims?
Why are the names of the two boys not published? Why are the teachers' names not published?
Why are the policemen who did NOT arrest the boys not published?
This would go a long way in ending such shameful behavior. Publish their names and shame them into becoming accountable for their actions.
Oh, and perhaps the square where they were attacked should be named as well - so that other people know WHERE the incident took place and can avoid the area. Stating that it took place in "Hamrun" isn't good enough. I think I live right near that square, and would either avoid it or be very careful when in the area - but since the specific location wasn't mentioned... the journalists - or their editors - don't seem to be doing their job!