I knew “Emily” (I am not using her real name to protect her anonymity) quite well. At least, I though I knew her quite well. She and her husband used to go to a Church where I often celebrated mass. We spoke at least weekly. Her three children (number not real to protect her anonymity) were altar boys. She was full of life and involved herself in a lot of voluntary work. When she and her family went to live in another village, we lost contact for a number of years.

Once, out of the blues, she phoned me at my office asking for an appointment. I welcomed her, curious about the reason of her visit.

“I want to tell you father that I am leaving my husband.” I was surprised. They seemed to be a very happy family.

Then she exploded a bombshell.

“I was an abused wife. I lived all my married life in abuse. There was psychological and physical violence. I was admitted to hospital twice. …… …. … “

The sad story went on and on. One heart-breaking incident followed another. It seemed to be a never-ending series.

“Now my three boys are settled. I am leaving him.”

I was dumbfounded. I thought I knew her and her family. I knew them not. How could she take all that abuse? How was it possible to keep everything within the confines of her home? Why did she never ask for help? Why? Why? I kept asking myself.

I remembered her story when I read that earlier this week, members of Victim Support Group and a number of other persons, about 50 people in all, most of them women, took part in a silent demonstration from City Gate in Valletta to the Law Courts calling for faster action for victims of domestic violence. Some of the posters said it all: “We need protection now”, “Victims of domestic violence can’t wait”, “The fear is real”, and “Delays cost lives”.

The march was organised in the wake of the recent murder of 40-year-old Christina Sammut who was shot on December 11. Four weeks before the murder she had filed a report at the Rabat police station claiming her former partner had chased her with a knife. Christina was allegedly shot by her ex-boyfriend, Kenneth Gafà, who has turned himself in to the police but is pleading not guilty.

She was brutally murdered at Żebbiegħ while, it seems, she was waiting for her new boyfriend. She, perhaps, dreamed of starting a new life with him. Instead, the poor women had her life terminated in a pool of blood!

What steps were taken, if any were taken, after she filed the report to the police? Was some kind of counter report filed in by her partner? What is the protocol used by police in such circumstances? Was it followed? Is this protocol effective and efficient? Was an inquiry conducted to ascertain that nothing could have been done to save the life of Christina? Has her family asked the Police Ombudsman to investigate the matter? The questions keep on coming to my mind.

The answers will make one iota of difference to Christina but they could make a difference to the many who, every day and night, are abused. According to a report in The Times a recent study on the prevalence of domestic violence in Malta showed that a quarter of women have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused by their husband or partner. More than half of the abused women never sought help.

I also remember a middle-aged man in a respectable semi-public position. He came to speak to me in conjunction with a story we had published in Il-Gens. After publishing his story, fully respecting his anonymity, I was shocked by the reactions I received. Many just laughed it off adding all sorts of derogatory remarks about the man. It is true that most abused partners are female ones but it is also true that there are a number of abused males as well. Their fate seems to be harder as they find it difficult even to find compassion let alone concrete help.

It is good to know that within the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family there is a Commission on Domestic Violence. There web page address is: http://www.msp.gov.mt/services/subpages/content.asp?id=1950

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“A consumer division with teeth”

I had criticised David Agius MP PN when he had launched his campaign to get both Melita and Go to simultaneously retransmit English, Italian and European football matches. His campaign was uninformed. He spoke as if there is some divine right for people to watch such football games free to air. However, I think that his recent criticism of both providers deserves support. He has accused both Go and Melita of taking customers “for a ride” by broadcasting Living TV and Comedy Central without having the rights to do so.

According to timesofmalta.com a spokesman for Living TV said the station could never have been broadcast because Go and Melita did not have any of the necessary permissions or authorisations to include the station in their packages.

You could say that the following question shows a high level of naïveté, but I ask it anyway. Could it be that the service providers were transmitting a station without having the necessary rights to do so? If this was the case then consumers, as the Hon Agius is saying, should have the right to receive compensation.

Like Mr Agius I think that “People are being taken for a ride by these two companies” and that “politicians have to take the necessary decisions to strengthen the positions of consumers. We all hope that, the Consumers Bill in Parliament will help fill some of these loopholes.

However, Mr Agius can go one better. He has the power to see to it that the Bill fills some of these loopholes! In the meantime, he is also right to say, “We need a consumer’s division with teeth, to fight for the consumers.”

I wish the Editor, the staff of timesofmalta.com all my readers the best for the New Year.