As part of the campaign of sixteen days of activism, with the theme ‘Domestic Violence is Everyone’s Business’, the Commission on Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence organized a conference on -the role of men and boys in the prevention of domestic and gender-based violence. This conference was held with the aim of offering a platform to stakeholders coming from various fields to share their expertise on how to strengthen the role of men and boys in the prevention of violence, as this social scourge is a struggle of the whole society.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms and Equality Rebecca Buttigieg attended this conference where she explained how we must work harder to change the mindsets that for a long time created a stigma on domestic violence. She said how international research shows how the stereotypes and norms associated with the role of gender in society has led to women’s role being considered one way and men’s role being considered another way. “It is precisely this patriarchal system that we must address by investing in more educational campaigns that convey a clear message – violence is never acceptable and under no circumstances,” concluded the Parliamentary Secretary.
The Commissioner on Domestic Violence and Gender Based Violence Audrey Friggieri said, “Through this conference, the Commission is continuing to spread more and more knowledge about this phenomenon that facilitates violence based on -gender and domestic violence. In this discussion between social partners, the participants had the opportunity to share their experiences and ideas on this subject, so that together we can better understand how we can arrive at more respectful and equal relations between the sexes, and then for the prevention of abuse and violence in society.”
This conference was also addressed by Dr. Declan Coogan, an expert from the University of Galway in Ireland, where he could share with the Maltese experts his experience in working with men and boys who are victims of violence and as well as with men and boys who commit domestic violence and gender-based violence. This discussion focused on what can happen in order to fully integrate the role of men and boys on an individual and collective level in the fight against domestic violence and gender-based violence.
