Blaming victims – such as in the case of the acquittal of a priest from sexually abusing a woman – discourages other vulnerable people from asking for help, social workers are warning.
Their association is calling for awareness about power imbalance “inherent in professional relationships” that renders those seeking help vulnerable.
“There was certainly lack of awareness in the case of the recent judgement delivered by the Appeals Court which revoked a sentence handed down to a member of a religious order,” the Maltese Association of Social Workers said.
The MASW refrained from referring to a particular case. However, last week, Fr Charles Fenech was acquitted of having sexually abused a woman after the Appeals Court found that the relationship between the two was consensual and the woman knew exactly what she was doing.
Fr Fenech, who had been previously sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for a year, had his sentence revoked.
This kind of reasoning does not encourage vulnerable people to seek help
“The Court held that the woman was able to stop meetings with the perpetrator when she wanted. According to the court, although she was vulnerable, she knew exactly what she was doing.
“This kind of reasoning, which sees leaving an abusive relationship as free choice, is victim-blaming and definitely does not encourage other vulnerable people, particularly women, to come forward and seek help when they are in abusive relationships,” MASW said.
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This attitude had no place in a society that was supposedly working to eradicate domestic violence, the association said.
MASW, meanwhile, added its voice to the expression of “horror” at the recent murder of Lourdes Agius. The 35-year-old was found murdered in her bedroom in Paola and her partner has since been charged in court with her murder.
The association was “deeply troubled” by increasing cases of femicide, noting that a large number of the solved cases involved domestic violence.
It called for a “more mature debate”, with an informed position about the involved interpersonal dynamics.
“People responsible for abusive behaviour need to be held accountable, and victim-blaming must be avoided at all costs. The nature of an abusive relationship, whether current or not, makes it difficult for a person experiencing this type of abuse to escape.
“Leaving such relationships is not a free choice – it is a calculated escape which, unfortunately, often results in an escalation of abuse or violence and has, on too many occasions, resulted in murder.”
The MASW insisted that all reports and instances of domestic violence needed to be taken seriously and action was required to prevent the increase of risk for vulnerable people.
The association noted that respectful relationships needed to be at the root of all interventions, whether educative, remedial or protective. This would take society one step closer to the elimination of patriarchy, which is essential if society valued equal relationships.
The MASW also expressed solidarity with social workers and requested that they are provided with all the resources and support they needed to be able to protect victims, help prevent escalating violence, support all those affected by domestic violence or femicide and participate in professional networks that created a safety net for survivors.