A press release by the ‘Women’s Rights Foundation’ titled ‘Femicide of Paulina Dembska’ announced a vigil to be held tomorrow 4th January 2022. The press statement began by stating that when the Malta Observatory on Femicide was launched last month, they never would have expected to have a new case of a woman dying at the hands of a man so soon.

‘Sadly, the latest case just proves the point that the observatory is very much needed’ it continued. The press release said that, despite details being scant, we know her name – Paulina Dembska. 

‘She suffered one of the most brutal forms of Gender Based Violence against Women.  We are adding her name to the long list of names of women whose life was cut short because of misogyny and relentless male violence caused by it.’ The press release stated that there is no way of putting it any other way – ‘the cause of her demise, and those of others before her, is men. 

We can talk about laws, we can introduce new and tougher punishments, but until we deal with the root cause, we are a far cry from ensuring that women will not be abused and killed on account of their gender.’

‘We call on authorities and policy makers to accept responsibility for failing to prevent femicide and step up their game. We call on our legal and judicial system to once and for all take femicide, gender based violence & violence against women seriously and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and dissuasive punishments meted out.’

‘We call on our political class to take the lives and wellbeing of the women living in this country in a serious and comprehensive manner.  Ultimately, we call on all good people in Malta to see that the solution to violence on women lies in all of us.’

The vigil will be held tomorrow 4th January 2022 at 6pm Exiles, Sliema, with the press release asking those attending to bring a candle. 

#MaltaDaily