Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/649887
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 MARCH 2016 News 11 Mothers' plight as they risk eviction from shelters MIRIAM DALLI FOUR mothers, all victims of domes- tic violence, risk being separated from their children unless the authorities accede to a judicial protest calling on them to issue a residency permit with- out any further delay. The judicial protest, filed by hu- man rights lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic on behalf of Wendy Buchalan, Alicia Laquio Mejlak, Angy Shoukry Ibra- him Shenouida and Manar Yassine, sheds light on the plight faced by many third country nationals who are forced to face delays and excessive bu- reaucracy in their attempt to acquire a residency permit. The women are all mothers of very young children, whose Maltese fathers were abusive or who didn't want to have anything to do with the children they fathered. Having nowhere to turn to and running from an abusive relationship, the single mothers were forced to seek the support of shelters for victims of domestic violence. The women have been living in a shelter for several months, others even years, as they struggle to acquire a residency permit. Since their chil- dren are Maltese citizens, born and bred in Malta, it is their mothers' right – as their primary carers – to reside in Malta. However, because they are no longer married, the women do not have an automatic right to freedom of move- ment and need to acquire a residency permit. To support their sons and daughters, the women must find a stable job, which would allow them to receive a work permit. But the circumstances are not easy: because they are single mothers, they do not enjoy the support of a husband or partner while, many a time, the fa- thers do not contribute to their chil- dren's maintenance. Endless delays, excessive bureau- cracy and the absolute lack of infor- mation available and basic assistance have made it even harder for these women to obtain a residency permit. Matters took a turn downhill af- ter the government allegedly started pressuring shelters to encourage resi- dents who have exceeded their maxi- mum stay at the shelter to move out. The reason being an ever-increasing waiting list of victims of domestic vio- lence seeking shelter. "Laquio Mejlak and Shoukry have been asked to leave the shelter be- cause they have exceeded their stay. They were also told by workers at the shelter that the government was pressuring them to encourage the mothers, along with their children, to leave," according to the judicial pro- test. Without a job, nowhere to live and no money to support their children, the risk of being separated from their children is very real. "These women are caught in a vi- cious circle," Dimitrijevic, founder of Women's Rights Foundation, told MaltaToday. "One of the women has been living in the shelter for the past three years and three months, without a regular income and caring for her toddler. She cannot work because her kid is so young … she doesn't benefit from any incentives or schemes, such as free childcare centres, that would allow her to at least go look for a job." The allowance they receive is of around €400, not enough to even cov- er the rent of an apartment. "Prices have shot up and they do not afford a place where to live. They have been reduced to a precarious state, facing poverty. Many a time, women in similar situations, end up sharing an apartment with two or three other mothers. Can you imagine the condi- tions they end up living in?" With the judicial protest, Dimitrije- vic – and mostly the women – hope that the authorities take heed of their plight and offer the necessary support. "We hope that the government rec- ognises the vulnerable situation these women and their children are in," the lawyer said. "It's a sad and gruesome reality. "Even the children themselves are suffering. Moreover, because the mothers don't have an automatic right to a work permit, they are losing out on a lot of benefits." Breast screening survey finds concerns over pain and accessibility MATTHEW VELLA WOMEN who have accessed the government's breast cancer screening programme have reg- istered high satisfaction rates with the service, but a survey by the directorate for healthcare services found that the pro- gramme needs strategies that minimise pain and discomfort if high levels of satisfaction and attendance are to be maintained. Women who said they found mammography 'severely un- comfortable' also found it to be 'severely painful' (67%), while more than half of participants (56%) experienced anxiety prior to mammography and higher anxiety (92%) when recalled. While the majority of the cli- ents rated the mammogram as 'slightly uncomfortable', those who found it 'severely uncom- fortable' were doubtful of repeat attendance and 2.7% would not re-attend. The cross-sectional survey of 380 women born between 1950 and 1954 however found over- all satisfaction with screening appointments, standard of care (over 99%) and with the whole programme (68%). But one in three women (29.7%) said they had faced dif- ficulties in accessing the unit due to busy roads, no bus access, a location that was not central, or limited parking. Of this group of surveyed women, more tended to be less satisfied with the pro- gramme generally. "This study found a strong as- sociation between discomfort and pain since those who found mammography 'severely un- comfortable' also found it 'se- verely painful' and vice-versa, which had a less than excellent score on women's satisfaction," the authors of the study, pub- lished in the Malta Medical Jour- nal, found. "While 73.1% of women in this study reported some discomfort, only 22% reported the examina- tion as 'severely uncomfortable', whereas of those who reported some form of pain (43.9%), only 11.8% reported the examina- tion as 'severely painful'. These percentages coincide with other authors' findings, which ranged significantly from 1.3% to 92.3% for pain or discomfort and spe- cifically between 41% and 76% for discomfort. The above may be due to various reasons, such as age-related anatomic breast differences between younger and older women." Nonetheless, this study found no difference between the groups. The findings show that those who found the mammo- gram 'severely uncomfortable' are more likely not to re-attend when compared with those who did not find the test 'severely un- comfortable'. The authors of the study said that there was solid evidence that women who face difficulties to access the screening unit are less satisfied with the screening programme. They also said that a female radiographer was "an impacting factor" towards high satisfaction and a positive experience. Due to the intimacy of the procedure, this factor leads women to feel at ease during screening." Pre-procedural information has been shown to be effective to minimise anxiety and is essential for women to make informed choices. "Since the participation rate at the time of the study was 55.9%, urgent research to in- vestigate local reasons for non- attendance is vital in order to in- crease the screening compliance rate in Malta." The authors of the study are Danika Marmarà from the di- rector-general's office of health- care, Judi Curtis from Kingston University (UK) and Vincent Marmarà from the University of Stirling (UK). mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Mammogram discomfort Not at all uncomfortable 27.9% Slightly uncomfortable 51.1% Moderately uncomfortable 11.3% Severely uncomfortable 9.7% Pain felt during mammogram Not at all painful 56.1% Slightly painful 32.1% Moderately painful 3.4% Severely painful 8.4% Pre-procedural information in breast screening minimises anxiety