Ms Renee Laiviera, Chairperson MCWO, took part in a discussion on the Labour Market and Precarious Work on the occasion of 1st May 2012 celebrations organised by the Labour Party at St. George Square in Valletta.  Other panel speakers included Joe Gerada, FHRD; Tony Zarb, GWU; Josef Vella, UHM; Paul Pace, MUMN; Joshua Zammit, MEA; John Bencini, FORUM; Ray Muscat, MBB. Simone Cini facilitated the discussion.

In a 50-page ruling delivered on 10 April, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera acquitted three men – Rhys Fiteni, Ronald Barbara and Keith Bartolo, all in their 20s from the Cottonera area – of raping an 18-year-old girl, who was a cousin of one of the three defendants, and who also transpired to have mental problems.

Within hours, the news article announcing the three men’s acquittal was inundated with comments singing their praises, and pouring scorn and derision on the 18-year-old victim. One of the three men, Rhys Fiteni, was afterwards interviewed by The Times, which also dedicated last Sunday’s editorial to his ‘ordeal’.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Renee Laiviera, Chair of the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations, expressed concern at the generally misogynistic attitudes expressed about the case.

“While it may be true that the rape allegation was false, given the facts as set out in the Times article – and nobody, women or men, should be wrongfully accused – other issues come to mind,” she said.

[maltatoday]

The European Parliament Information Office in Malta and the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisation (MCWO) organised a public dialogue entitled ‘Empowering Women against Violence’ on Friday 30th March. The aim of this dialogue was to raise awareness on domestic violence, which is a long-standing threat that is persisting across Europe.

The President of European Parliament Women’s Lobby group, Brigitte Triems, the keynote speaker of the event, argued that the current economic crisis was exacerbating domestic violence and social inequalities. There were still a high number of domestic violence cases, with one out of five European women being victims.

Ms Triems emphasized the importance of raising awareness and enhancing financial resources to effectively combat violence by making reference to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, which is not yet ratified by all member states.

The emotional experience of two survivors of domestic violence shared during the event underscored that violence did not depend on the character of the victim. While sharing the fear and the suffering endured in their previous situations, the survivors recounted how difficult it was to pluck up courage to get themselves and their children out of the situation. They spoke of major obstacles which victims of violence, especially women, encounter when they decide to seek help, ranging from the lukewarm response from some members of the police when filing a report to practical difficulties such as employment opportunities, access to housing, schooling and maintenance of children. They said children in households where abuse was happening also faced trauma and needed special help.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Michael Cassar, took note of the respective cases mentioned while highlighting the principal role of the Vice Squad in combating domestic violence and assisting victims. He argued perpetrators of domestic violence were primarily criminals who should be brought to justice.

Dr Marceline Naudi, representing the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Malta, noted the discrepancy between what should happen in principle and what effectively happens in practice. She emphasized that the four-day period prescribed by the law for alleged perpetrators to appear in court was not being respected by legal practitioners. “Effective action needs to be taken against the perpetrator. When necessary, they should be helped,” she said.

Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Social Welfare Service, Ms Sina Bugeja, spoke about sensitising front liners such as legal practitioners, legislators, social providers and the police force, who she advocated must work towards adopting a harmonised approach. She also called for specialised training of cadets on how to treat domestic violence reports with further periodic assessments.

Dr Roberta Lepre, Director of Victim Support Malta, an NGO, pointed out that there was an increasingly alarming figure of domestic violence cases. She commended the proposal for an EU Directive which addresses the duty of states to ensure that victims receive support. Whilst commenting that Malta does have the legal means to combat domestic violence, in reality, she noted, provisions were not being implemented.

Ms Joanna Xuereb, Chairperson of the Commission on Domestic Violence, stated: “We need to make sure that victims of domestic violence are given support from all organisations, but we also have to work on prevention”.

Closing off the panel discussion, Mr Massimo Farrugia, Acting Head of the European Parliament Office in Malta, expressed his satisfaction at the frankness felt throughout the public dialogue and commended the participation and activism of the participants. He also made reference to the proposed EU Directive on gender-based violence drafted by the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee and welcomed such fora as examples of disseminating information and raising awareness of social issues that impact people’s daily life.

Related press releases:

[maltastar][maltaindependent][timesofmalta][timesofmalta]

The concept behind the event is for the MCWO to continue raising awareness on violence against women and domestic violence.  The event will also give a voice to survivors to identify their predicament when they were trying to get out of such a difficult situation.  A panel of official stakeholders working in the field will be  responding to their input.

The main speaker will be Ms Brigitte Triems, President of The European Women’s Lobby.

The EWL is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s organisations in the EU, working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men.  It represents a total of more than 2500 organisations.  MCWO is an affiliated member of the EWL.

For registration send email to: reneelaiv@yahoo.com/mobile 79564598 by Tues 27. Kindly send your ID No. and be prepared to submit it at reception prior to event.

The MCWO said that according to a report recently published by the European Commission, progress remains slow with regard to significant economic benefit from a better gender balance in economic decision-making.

The Confederation said that this situation exists in spite of the fact that women account for 60% of university graduates. Moreover, a growing body of research, including the report just published, shows significant benefits from a better gender balance in economic decision-making.

To read the full article, click here.

To mark International Women’s Day the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) would like to emphasize the fact that according to a report just published by the European Commission, progress remains slow with regard to significant economic benefit from a better gender balance in economic decision-making.

It highlighted countries that have introduced gender quotas and showed that big differences exist between the various Member States.  The largest Finnish companies have registered the highest percentage of women on boards – 27%. Latvia comes second with 26%.  The two countries with the lowest percentage of women on boards are Cyprus (4%) and Malta (3%).

This situation exists in spite of the fact that women account for 60% of university graduates.  Moreover, a growing body of research, including the report just published, shows significant benefits from a better gender balance in economic decision-making.  More productive and innovative working environment resulting in improved overall company performance can be one of the benefits that more women in top positions can bring to the enterprises concerned.

Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding is reported as stating that “If we want to achieve the target set by the Europe 2020 Strategy – the EU’s growth strategy – to raise the employment rate for women and men aged 20-64 to 75%, we need to make gender diversity a growth asset.”

Whilst the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) appreciates that the participation rate of Maltese women in the labour market has risen to 40%, it feels obliged to point out that there is still a long way to go to reach the target set by Europe 2020 Strategy (75%). Furthermore, our tail-end position in the matter of gender balance in the boardroom requires much attention and concrete action.

MCWO urges the Maltese Government to take up the challenge and follow in the footsteps of other EU member states – notably Belgium France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain – that have adopted legislation to introduce gender quotas for company boards; while other EU member states have adopted regulations on gender balance for boards of state-owned companies – namely Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, and Slovenia.

Action is urgently needed to obtain positive results.   The report stated that it will take EU member states more than 40 years to reach a significant gender balance (40%) at the current rate.  MCWO asks how long it will take Malta with the least percentage (3%) of women in top positions to reach this target.

This press release was also combined with the following article including the GWU in the Times of Malta, published on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 8th March, 2012.

[timesofmalta]

Dear Sir / Madam,

As part of the EU co-funded project ESF 3.47 Unlocking the Female Potential, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) has recently launched a new publication entitled ‘Unlocking the Female Potential Research Report’.  Topics covered in the report are:

• The Situation of the Male and Female Entrepreneurs and Vulnerable Workers in Malta 
• The Relevance of Economic Independence to the Maltese Female 
• Analyzing Inactivity From a Gender Perspective 
• Gozitan Women in Employment

For access to the whole report, click here.

Thanks and regards,

Maria Theresa