Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1031063
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 SEPTEMBER 2018 MATTHEW AGIUS WOMEN and men of all ages joined a march against femi- cide yesterday, calling for an end to violence against wom- en. The march in Valletta was organised by the Women's Rights Foundation in the wake of the latest murder of a woman at the hands of her husband. People held up posters with the names of women who were murdered over two dec- ades by their partners, hus- bands or family members. Some women also had red palm prints painted across their neck to symbolise the suffering victims of domestic violence go through. The crowd walked from City Gate to St George Square, chanting "Not one more". The foundation was protest- ing against what it says are worrying rates of femicide in Malta. Last week, Lourdes Agius, a mother of six, was found dead by her mother after having allegedly been murdered by her husband. She was found with significant bruise marks around her neck which indi- cate that she may have been strangled. She is the fourth woman to be killed in the last three months. Over the past 20 years, 26 women were killed by their partners. "This is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. We continue to live in a misogy- nistic and patriarchal society where women are blamed and their actions or lack thereof are questioned," the organis- ers of the march said. Veteran women's rights ac- tivist Marcelline Naudi told MaltaToday that despite the improvements to the law, it was still not enough. "We need to have people on the ground dealing with the women face to face, properly trained. Although there have been many attempts for this to happen they have clearly not been successful, because if they were we wouldn't contin- ue to have all of these [mur- ders]," she said. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and Prime Min- ister Joseph Muscat were pre- sent for the event. Only last May, a new gen- der-based violence law was approved by Parliament that introduced harsher penalties and made it easier for victims to come forward and report. However, activists believe that the law on its own is not enough and frontline police officers dealing with reports of domestic abuse have to be adequately trained on how to handle the situation. In a statement after the march, Alternattiva Demokra- tika deputy chairperson Mario Mallia expressed solidarity with victims of domestic vio- lence and committed his party to doing its part to tackle the issue. "The roots of the domestic violence problem are cultural. The fact that half the popula- tion still believes that women exaggerate when they report violent incidents as well as that violence against women is provoked by the victim, are a testament to this," Mallia said. These beliefs led many wom- en to be too scared to report violent incidents with tragic outcomes in some of the cas- es, Mallia added. He insisted there was an ur- gent need for the State and the courts to give clear messages in favour of victims of domes- tic violence and to deal harsh- ly with perpetrators. Mallia said education was NEWS Notice Relocation to new Premises Measures and Support Division The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality (MEAE) would like to notify that it has moved to new premises in Floriana as from Monday, 27th August 2018. The new address is as follows: Measures and Support Division Pjazza San Kalċidonju, Floriana FRN 1530 The Measures and Support Division Helpdesk may be reached by email on msd.meae@gov.mt or by phone on 2200 1100 / 2295 7110. Notice Relocation to new Premises Measures and Support Division The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality (MEAE) would like to notify that it has moved to new premises in Floriana as from Monday, 27th August 2018. The new address is as follows: Measures and Support Division Pjazza San Kalċidonju, Floriana FRN 1530 The Measures and Support Division Helpdesk may be reached by email on msd.meae@gov.mt or by phone on 2200 1100 / 2295 7110. Notice Relocation to new Premises Measures and Support Division The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality (MEAE) would like to notify that it has moved to new premises in Floriana as from Monday, 27th August 2018. The new address is as follows: Measures and Support Division Pjazza San Kalċidonju, Floriana FRN 1530 The Measures and Support Division Helpdesk may be reached by email on msd.meae@gov.mt or by phone on 2200 1100 / 2295 7110. Marching to end violence against women President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca Joseph Muscat, Claudette Buttigieg and Miriam Dalli were among many politicians who attended the march yesterday