Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1208901
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI THE cold-blooded murder of Chantelle Chetcuti on Sunday evening left the country in shock, as once again a woman fell victim to brutal domestic violence that raises questions on the dangers of violent masculinity. The incident sparked a flurry of reactions from NGOs, politicians and activists. But among these reactions, the question on what bystanders should have done was raised, with some blaming those present at the bar for not inter- vening. On social media, the arguments were about what people who saw the argument escalating could have done, while others insisted that one wrong move could affect a witness's personal safety when they do not know who the ag- gressor is. Women's rights activist Lara Dimitrijevic, who was among the most vocal following the incident, said that while personal security should always be prioritised, the country still has a strong culture of accepting domestic violence. "I feel it is our obligation to flag domestic abuse when we see it," she said. It is a sentiment shared by out- going domestic violence com- missioner Simone Azzopardi. "We should be educating our children on flagging domestic violence from a young age, we must teach them that silence is not golden. "While people should be cau- tious in how they report do- mestic violence, common sense should prevail when clear signs of domestic violence are present." Clarissa Sammut Scerri, an ac- ademic specialising in domestic violence, does not believe that Malta's problem with domestic violence is a cultural phenome- non. "Wherever in society cultur- al and social norms support vio- lent behaviour, wherever there isn't gender equality and respect for all, where there is easy access to guns and knives and availabil- ity of alcohol and substance use, then it is likely that vulnerable victims across all socio-econom- ic sectors are going to suffer be- cause of domestic violence. So, no one can justify domestic vio- lence as a cultural phenomenon," she said. Dimitrijevic said Malta needs an ongoing campaign, "not just an accident-inspired outcry". Can bystanders be taught how to stop domestic violence? Witnessing domestic violence: understanding the bystanders' role in f lagging domestic abuse Victim: Chantelle Chetcuti Lara Dimitrijevic: "We have a situation where your fate lies in what police depot or with which police constable you file your report… despite domestic violence being the second most reported crime in Malta, less than half of the cases end up in court" JAMES DEBONO PLANS for the proposed North Aquaculture Zone in the Sikka l-Bajda area, which will host all tuna pens in the North of Malta, will bring the existing fish-farms to a smaller site closer to the Gozitan coastline. The temporary relocation of fish-farm zones, approved in May 2019, was located 4.5km from Mellieha, 6km from Comi- no and 7.6km from Qala, Gozo. According to the present plans, the new fish-farm zone will be located 4.6km from Qala and 5.7km from Mellieha. An Environment Impact As- sessment envisaging the impact of a fish-farm zone around Sikka l-Bajda was already published in early 2019. The public can send its representations on the appli- cation up until 14 February. The application's site area of 3.4sq.km, the expanse of 484 football grounds, will cater for a total biomass of approximately 5,000 tonnes of fish according to details presented in the appli- cation up from the 3,300 tonnes of fish catered for in the current temporary zone. The Environment and Re- sources Authority has already issued its clearance for the devel- opment but has issued a number of conditions, including regular monitoring by the authority and by avifauna experts, and controls on the individual operations. Birdlife Malta had expressed concern on locating fish-farms in a marine protection area which includes important bird colonies. The Wild Birds Regulations Unit acknowledged that stud- ies have underlined "a number of uncertainties and data gaps" but still concluded that the pro- ject will not have an "irreversi- ble impact" on the on the three major seabird species, namely Yelkouan shearwater, the Scopo- li shearwater and the European storm petrel. Environmental studies have warned that that the potential increase in Yellow-legged Gulls feeding around the tuna pens would end preying on smaller storm petrels. The WBRU endorsed a num- ber of recommendations includ- ing keeping the use of lights to a minimum and the use of down- ward-facing shaded light sourc- es, minimizing the requirements to operate at night and the moni- toring of gull colonies if observed feeding at the farm. Fish-farm employees will also be trained in "appropriate bird handling and reporting". Mega fish-farm zone proposed off Qala