Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525500
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 AUGUST 2024 NEWS people asking if the police is doing enough they should undergo risk assessment, but it should not be so. Professionals must carry out continuous risk assessments once the reports are lodged," she said. Has the state failed victims of domestic vi- olence? Questioned on details about the case and how Ghirxi had lodged a report warning the police about Johnston's potential arrival in Malta, Angelo Gafá said he would not get in- to specifics due to the sensitivity of the case and an ongoing magisterial inquiry. "People might ask 'what happens if the victim does not want to be assessed'? The police, while not having a scientific risk as- sessment, carries out a preliminary assess- ment. Last year we had over 2,000 reports; this year we had an increase of 12% when compared to the same period last year. We carry out the risk assessment to categorise the reports according to risk. Based on the risk assessment, the necessary action is then carried out," he said. On the social media post uploaded by Ghirxi's lawyer, where the aggressor laughed off the police's request for a meeting, the Police Commissioner once again said he would not be getting into specifics, "but said everything revolves around the victim's risk, and not the aggressor's attitude." "In a lot of the work we do, the police do not meet a lot of people who are forthcom- ing with us, but that is the job. Yes, there are international tools, but they must be used according to the protocol dictated to us," he said. He would not delve deeper into the issue. On the other hand, Dimitrijevic feels the police could have done more. "If the victim in this case decided against the risk assessment, but still felt the need to tell the police that he [Edward William Johnston] had arrived in Malta, that is a red flag, and it is up to the police and the author- ities to follow up," she said. She insists the country's authorities have to go beyond a "box-ticking approach" when it comes to reforming the sector. "We have improved, and the law has been changed to the better, but we cannot stop there. We cannot just change the law but must also adopt a holistic approach to the problem," she said. "We need to educate and teach against the problem from a young age." A culture of misogyny Analysing the conditions which led to Ghirxi's murder, Dimitrijevic feels it is symptomatic of a wider culture of misogyny. "You look at the videos he uploaded and his narrative, and it is so similar to what we are seeing across society. It is a narrative which has been enforced by people like An- drew Tate and Donald Trump," she said. "It has continued to grow and fester slowly, and it is dangerous." One of the country's leading voices against gender discrimination, she said even she has been targeted for her views. "If I speak to a newspaper on anything related to my activism, you have people bashing me personally, and sometimes even threatening me," the lawyer said. "We need a zero-tolerance approach on this kind of narrative." But there seems to be some hope, with the police registering a year-on-year increase in domestic violence victims coming forward to report their abuse. According to the Police Commissioner, the number of reports received by the police has steadily increased over the years, with 1,675 reports in 2021, 1,753 in 2022, and 1,979 in 2023. As of the end of July 2024, there have already been 1,264 reports. "We are not perfect, and we are one of the biggest entities in the country, but we have made progress. We have been recognised locally and internationally, but as I said the police do not operate in a vacuum," Gafà said. He also called on victims to seek the ser- vices available to them, such as the service provided by the Victim Support Agency Malta, which forms part of a new law – the Domestic Violence Prevention Bill. People in an intimate relationship who suspect that their partner might turn abu- sive or aggressive towards them can file a re- port with Victim Support Agency to inquire whether they have ever been found guilty of domestic violence. The police's domestic violence hub in Santa Lucija where victims are spoken to in a more welcoming environment Women's rights activist and lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic Edward William Johnston is suspected of killing Ghirxi with whom he had a past relationship. Johnston was shot dead by police following a standoff in St Julian's