Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1208901
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS Even a spokesperson for the police force said bystanders wit- nessing such incidents should immediately report escalating situations. "We recommended that people file a report, even anonymously if need be, and let the police intervene." Domestic violence campaigns can not only revolve around teaching children on how to re- act to such situations, but also on how victims of violence can call out for help. A simple code-word campaign for people feeling unsafe on a date got global attention after a picture of the poster dotted around bars in Lincolnshire, Eng- land emerged on Twitter. The campaign educates people on how to discreetly ask for help by going to a bar or DJ booth "asking for Angela", which is a codeword to alert the staff to diffuse the sit- uation. Hayley Child, the mind behind the campaign, said that 'Ange- la' is a play on the word Angel (guardian). Posters are placed in toilets at establishments and bars, helping individuals to become aware of the campaign. Posters also include the number for the region's rape crisis team if people want to get in touch. Despite no ongoing campaign going in Malta, the police said that an emergency report can be filed via SMS through the 112mt app. But Dimitrijevic says police are still not doing enough. "We have a situation where your fate lies in what police depot or with which police constable you file your re- port… despite domestic violence being the second most reported crime in Malta, less than half of the cases end up in court. "We also can't have a situation where we wait for the incident to happen before we react, and in case of the woman who was killed, it was too late," she said. The 112mt app can be down- loaded here: https://bit.ly/2OBG7PU MARIA BROWN Why Malta's cultural deficits are murdering women A simple code-word campaign for people feeling unsafe on a date, educates people on how to discreetly ask for help by going to a bar or DJ booth "asking for Angela", which is the code to alert the staff to diffuse the situation A 16-suite tourist complex in the place of six old dwellings in the Tal-Abatija hamlet at Fomm ir- Rih will have "an unacceptable impact", the authorities respon- sible for the protection of the environment and the Maltese heritage have said. "It is evident that through this proposal the entire rural hamlet of Fomm ir-Riħ, today made up of barely six dwellings, will be converted into a tourist complex, potentially catering for 50 guests at a time," the Environment and Resources Authority warned. The ERA disputed the descrip- tion of the project given by the developers, which refers to the "consolidation and restoration" of old structures, because the project will actually add 11 com- pletely new structures, some on what is today open agricultural land. Only three suites will be incorporated in the retained re- stored buildings. The ERA also disputed the claim that there are "modern accretions", saying these were vernacular structures, possibly "among the oldest in the hamlet, dating back to its origins". The project is also in breach of PA rural policy guidelines be- cause it does not include an oper- ational farm to complement the agri-tourism accommodation, the ERA said. The increase in visitors to the area will also trigger an increased demand for parking and pressure to widen existing roads. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage also expressed concern on the "considerable intensification of development Outside Development Zone (ODZ) within an extremely sig- nificant cultural landscape". The project is being proposed by Paul Vella's Ballut Blocks. Plans presented by architect Ray Demicoli envisage the new buildings retaining practically the same footprint of the existing buildings. Demicoli claimed the project is intended at increasing "the appreciation of the natural beauty of the area", and that the developers see it as an act of "cor- porate social responsibility (CSR) that would benefit the locality". The hamlet itself is a rural land- mark along the country road that leads to Fomm ir-Riħ, which passes through the settlement. The site in question is adjacent to the boundary of a scheduled Area of High Landscape Value, and a scheduled Area of Ecologi- cal Importance. Abatija tourist project 'objectionable'