Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1365202
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 APRIL 2021 OPINION Protecting the victims of crime try… but in such a forgiving century, too. Three hundred years ago, he would probably have ended up paying for that level of thought- lessness, not just with his job…. but with his head. For which- ever way you cut it, it comes across as almost identical as Marie-Antoinette's ill-fated remark: 'Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!' (Only it sounds a whole lot better in the original Borgish: 'Qu'ils payent pour le gym!') Inherent in those words is pre- cisely the same sort of 'aloofness' that made Marie-Antoinette so detestable, to the crowds which cheered enthusiastically as she was decapitated. Like that hap- less French aristocrat, Ian Borg projects the image of some- one so utterly distanced, from the bread-and-butter issues that regulate ordinary people's lives, that he cannot even begin to comprehend the financial struggles that ordinary people have to face each day…. And let's face it: he obviously can't. Because he's not exactly an 'ordinary person', is he? Or- dinary people do not get deified, worshipped and drooled upon, every day, in the news… In any case: by now you will have worked out that I was not overly impressed by our Transport Minister's exploits this week: and you're probably thinking that I may also have milked them for slightly more than they're actually worth, too. Fair enough. But there is another reason for all this disproportionate at- tention: and this time, it goes somewhat beyond the persona of Transport Minister Ian Borg himself. So far beyond, in fact, that it takes us right back to that other article I mentioned, above. Remember? The one that was given so much prom- inence on One News… How did it go again? 'Same old strategies, same old results'. Well, guess what? It works just as well the other way around, too. I've already seen one politi- cal party, in this country, uncer- emoniously plummet from the dizzying heights of its former arrogance (I'll leave it to you to work out which). And while the circumstances are obvious- ly different… I'm beginning to see more or less the same thing happening today. Politicians, allowing them- selves to drift so very, very far away from their party's found- ing principles… that they end up casually uttering even the most outrageously insensitive comments, on the most inap- propriate issues, at the most in- opportune moments… without seeming to even notice. Now, where did I see that, again? Ah yes, of course: The Hittite Empire. Isn't it time I crushed their petty rebellion, once and for all? Or… wait, tell you what. I think I'll turn them into a Vassal (ahem) state in- stead… AS a government we are constantly reform- ing our conventional systems to ensure that no one is left behind. Up until recent years, the national servic- es were mostly focused on rehabilitating the perpetrators of crime, whereas victims of these crimes had minimal access to ser- vices protecting their rights during such a sensitive period of their life. The rehabilitation of people who have failed society is well within the agenda of this government, whilst in parallel we un- derstood that we should also be working to bolster the assistance provided to victims. Our main aim is to protect victims whilst paving their way towards a better way of life. During the past days Earlier this week, I launched the Victims Support Agency, which shall be offering holis- tic support to the victims of crime. All this shall be achieved through our commitment to provide all the necessary support and protection that the victims of crime may need, together with assisting in re- ducing the impact of the post crime trauma. First tangible measures came in- to force with the Victims of Crime Act, as steered by the government in 2015. This legisla- tion instituted new principles to the rights, support, and pro- tection of victims. Further to this law, in 2017 the Victims Support Unit was set up as a specific unit within the Police Force. Through this unit, assistance was being provided to victims filing a police report. This unit served as a point of reference not only to victims of crime but also to their relatives, by providing them with immedi- ate assistance and in some cases, a shoul- der to cry on. Similarly, other services were being offered to victims and their families by the department of probation and parole. Following these improvements, we felt that we needed to take it a step further. A new agency is now set up, motivated by the services already available through the Vic- tims Support Unit within the Police Force, the Department of Probation and Parole, and the Hate Crime Unit, together with other professionals who shall be recruited in due course. Today, I am satisfied to have launched an agency providing the fundamental forms of holistic assistance to the victims of various forms of crime. From legal assistance, to psychological support, to providing victims with a care plan that caters for their every need, the Victim Support Agency is well- equipped to truly assist victims during one of the most vulnerable moments in their life. In being thoughtful to the sensitivity of most cases, the new agency is providing a safe and private en- vironment, in which the victims feel com- fortable to speak freely and confiden- tially. Victims will also be being given all the relevant infor- mation about their respective rights and various other forms of relevant resource. The main reform is now in place. As a government we are prioritising victims of crime, by having the police force and other important pro- fessionals working together for a com- mon goal. In delivering anoth- er electoral promise, this Government is assisting victims in combating the suf- fering and unrest created by acts of crime. We shall be keeping up the pace to work and facilitate the willingness of victims to cooperate with the investigative role of the Police, together with the respective prose- cutorial proceedings before Courts, so that justice is indeed done to the same victims. I also look forward to further strength- ening the variety of services offered by the new Agency, with the recruitment of more professionals, and new collaborations in the best interest of victims. As a progressive government, we shall continue putting all our efforts to have a fairer society, with ambitious and bene- ficial reforms towards the good of all the Maltese and Gozitan people. Byron Camilleri is Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Byron Camilleri From legal assistance, to psychological support, to providing victims with a care plan that caters for their every need, the Victim Support Agency is well-equipped to truly assist victims during one of the most vulnerable moments in their life