Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1485769
maltatoday | SUNDAY •27 NOVEMBER 2022 9 INTERVIEW 'house the oppressor'. If you have been socialised into thinking that there is 'on- ly one way to be', or 'only one way to live your life' - and that means 'bowing your head to the oppressor'; and following all the precepts that are imposed on you… then eventually, instead of fighting for your freedom, you will end up 'housing your oppressor' inside of you. In other words, you will accept your oppression: because you want to 'fit in'; you don't want to 'rock the boat'… or because it simply makes your life easier. But still: you're not in control of your own life. And this is al- so because, when you 'house the oppressor', you will lack the ability to observe yourself from a distance, and see what's really going on. Ans this phenomenon is very much in action right now. Many people 'house the oppressor': and this includes women who believe that other women are responsible for their own pre- dicament, through their own behaviour. In rape cases, for instance: they might comment about 'what the victim was wearing'… or 'how she was dancing'; or 'how drunk she was'. Or if there are domestic problems in the home, it's because 'she's a bad mother'… Because let's face it: ours is a very judgmental culture. Our society is literally dripping with judgmentalism, all the time. It's sad, really. That's the only word that comes to mind. It makes me angry, too, at times: but when I reflect about it quietly, on my own… I find it really sad, more than anything else. Be- cause you can't grow, in a cul- ture where everybody is always judging everybody else. At the same time, however: let's not overlook that there are also women out there, who are really doing an awesome job of fighting against this culture. I applaud these trailblazers, these role-models, who also inspire me. And I hope to inspire oth- ers, in my turn. As for the vast majority of Maltese women and girls, how- ever: if they are not educated to think critically – and to 'not accept everything', basically – then sadly, they are going to keep housing the oppressor. Coming back to the specific cir- cumstances of Bernice Cassar's murder: earlier, you said that 'it's not a question of pointing fingers at one entity, or anoth- er'. Yet this case does seem to expose shortcomings with certain institutions. Cassar had filed multiple police reports against her estranged partner; and she was even granted a protection order, by the law- courts. Yet none of this seems to have translated into any ac- tual protection for the victim. Doesn't this also mean that entities such as the police DO actually bear responsibility for what happened? In this case, the perpetrator breached the conditions of the protection order handed down by the courts. It doesn't mean that the police were not doing their job… Sorry to interrupt: but that is precisely what many people out there are saying, right now. They are arguing that – in this particularly instance – the po- lice did NOT do their job prop- erly… I would say that's unfair. That's very unfair. The police really do try hard, with the re- sources they have available to them. Now: if you asked me whether have enough resourc- es, or not… my answer would certainly be 'No'. The police need more resources: even if, in this area, no amount of resourc- es – financial, or otherwise - is ever going to be enough. Was it really just a case of in- sufficient resources, though? One complaint that is often lev- elled at the police, is that – at a certain level – they tend to minimise the danger faced by potential victims of domestic violence. Do you think that the police took their responsibil- ities seriously enough, when faced with this complaint? Yes, of course they did. I have great trust in the police; because I know they're working hard. What can happen, however, is that when a victim of domestic violence goes to the police sta- tion, to file a report… she might end up having to wait a long time. Why? Because ever since we've stepped our awareness campaigns - and our campaigns are now ubiquitous: all year round, we're on social media, in schools… everywhere, really – the police have reported an increase in domestic violence complaints. They actually have queues at the Domestic Violence Unit now. I am told that people have to wait long hours; and – unlike other similar waiting room sce- narios: such as at the doctor, for instance – each individual case will be highly complicated. It's not a simply a matter of 'wait- ing to be told what medicines you need to take'; the cases that land at the Domestic Violence Unit include intimate partner violence; child-to-parent vio- lence… but also child abuse; people accusing others of mo- lesting their children… these are all very sensitive cases, that involve highly complex social problems. So, the resources being what they are: it's no surprise, real- ly, that there are long queues. There are only two rooms at the Domestic Violence Unit: on one room, there is risk assess- ment going on – which takes time – and in the other, there is a police official listening to each individual report. On top of that, there's also a play-room: because there will very often be children present… in short, there's always a lot going on. But they don't have the amount of space required, to speak to more than one person simultaneously. It's 'one case, at a time'. So if there are 10 people waiting outside; and an individ- ual report can take three hours, or more, to file… yes, of course people are going to feel frustrat- ed. Of course, they're going to say: 'I went to the police, and waited seven hours. They're in- efficient…' But that's unjust. The police are doing the best they can, with the resources hey have… I see your point: but people reading this will surely be ask- ing themselves: 'OK, but if the police are not responsible… where does the buck really stop?' From the reports we receive ourselves, it seems the main stumbling block concerns de- lays in the legal system. Because what often happens is that: the police will prosecute; they will want those cases to be heard; they will bring them to the at- tention of the magistrate… but then, there's only one magis- trate to hear them all; there's a massive backlog of cases; and again, people end up having to wait. It's not the magistrate's fault, naturally; she is qualified, and experienced… and she's doing a brilliant job, at the end of the day. But she has inherited an entire barrage of past cases; and more are being filed all the time. And all this waiting is, to say the least, unhelpful. It is frus- trating; and it doesn't help the relationship, either. So yes: we need to improve the court sys- tem, to avoid these delays. This has to be solved, once and for all.