Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/618165
IN an interview in MaltaToday, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has lamented that Malta still lags behind in terms of making women feel safe in their homes and welcome as equal players in society. Commenting on both the worry- ing pervasiveness of domestic vio- lence towards women, as well as an as-yet unequal playing field in the professional sphere, Coleiro Preca told Raphael Vassallo that "regret- tably we have not reached true and effective equality," – claiming that despite advances in other areas, contemporary society still engages in the unfortunate business of pro- moting gender stereotypes that hurt women, both personally and professionally. "A woman is still judged by her looks, rather than by her contribu- tion to society, or the business she manages. Even today, most women are compelled to care for the well- being of others before they seek their own." Describing any progress for wom- en in policymaking and manage- ment as being "too slow", Coleiro Preca observed that "any woman who broke the glass ceiling has done so with great personal sacrifices beyond what is reasonably accept- able or indeed possible," blaming a still largely "patriarchal" society for leading women to "waste so much energy" proving themselves before they could actively contribute to society. Turning to domestic violence to- wards women in particular, Coleiro Preca said that a "culture of hostili- ty towards women" is still very per- vasive on the island, describing the issue as an "ever-growing scourge" that appears to be cyclically per- petuating itself. "I believe that a bully at school is a bully in the home, and also at the place of work. It is a self- perpetuating cycle of violence. In other words, violence is generally learnt first-hand: from one's fami- ly, neighbourhood and other social contexts, real and virtual. "Some perpetrators of violence could have been victims of vio- lence themselves. When children experience violence, at times on a daily basis, they grow up thinking that violence is a reasonable way to end conflicts, and to subdue the other. Moreover, alcohol and other chemical substances fuel violent behaviour," Co- leiro Preca said. Newspaper post YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY • 20 DECEMBER 2015 • ISSUE 841 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT PGS 6-7 14-15 Turkey?? at Christmas? Get stuffed! maltatoday PERFECT GIFTS FREE TRAVEL KIT FREE PARKING & MORE!! OPEN DAILY @LUQA AIRPORT €1.40 Turkey?? at Christmas? Get stuffed! YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT Your best ever Christmas Gourmet Today's Rachel Zammit Cutajar has five of the best alternatives for your Christmas lunch Stuck for gifts, games, and keeping the kids happy? Our supplement has you covered SEE CENTRE PAGES 'Culture of hostility towards women still pervasive' – President Fears Haftar set for collision course with Tripoli UN deal gives UK and Italian armies foothold inside Libya Maltese government stands as sole interlocutor of Libyan lawmakers refusing UN deal and external forces JURGEN BALZAN SENIOR Maltese government sources have expressed concern at the increasingly convoluted situation in Libya which could lead to further violence if renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army attempts to force its way into Tripoli. Last Thursday, a fragile peace deal was signed in Moroc- co by some MPs from the rival parliaments – the House of Representatives of Tobruk, and the General National Con- gress of Tripoli – in a bid to end the 18-month civil strife. But two days earlier, on Tuesday, the presidents of both parliaments came to Malta to declare that they would forge ahead with their own unity government after refusing the UN deal presented by special representatives Bernardino Leon and now Martin Kobler. One of the key points of this week's UN-brokered deal is that of creating a safe passage for the new UN-backed gov- ernment and Haftar's army could play a key role since the two rival governments currently in control of the North African country are refusing to make way for the UN- backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Moreover, the newly chosen UN-backed government could pave the way for a NATO military intervention, with the United Nations Security Council expected to approve a resolution endorsing the North Af- rican country's third government this week. PG 6-7 General Haftar President Coleiro Preca