Those taking a stroll near the University library overlooking the Quadrangle at Msida Campus are now able to take the weight off their feet on a new purple-coloured bench – placed there for a very valid purpose.
On International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, celebrated across the world on 25 November, the University Students’ Council (KSU) inaugurated the ‘Domestic Violence Awareness’ bench, on which the names of the women murdered in Malta in a domestic violence context are inscribed in white paint.
KSU President, Mr Matthew Xuereb, said this symbolic act has been done to “increase the awareness of the reality experienced by many, especially women, so close to where we lead our daily lives, so close to our heart.”
"Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world. This bench aims to increase the visibility of such a problem, to emphasise how pervasive domestic violence can be, and to pay tribute to the mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives who have fallen victim", said KSU's Secretary General, Ms Julia Cini.
Also present at the inauguration ceremony, along with the members of KSU, was the University of Malta’s Pro-Rector for Student & Staff Affairs and Outreach, Prof. Carmen Sammut, who lauded this initiative which, with the current home isolation and social distancing measures, highlights the rampancy of the issue even more.
According to the 2012 report by WAVE, the NGO for Women Against Violence Europe, “26.5% of ever partnered women have experienced one or more acts of physical, sexual or emotional violence perpetrated by a current or former partner in their lifetime.”
In related news, Dr Clarissa Sammut Scerri from the Faculty for Social Wellbeing recently co-authored an article which looks back on women’s experience of triangulation in the context of domestic violence.
#NoToViolence