Students call out system that fails to protect and safeguard the people

Twenty-two student organisations have endorsed an open letter by the University Student Council (KSU) inviting the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Internal Affairs and the Malta Police Force to discuss reform in the policing and judicial system.

Recent events “have alarmed and shaken the student body to its very core, leaving a generation of future professionals overwhelmed and frustrated at the system they must inherit and, subsequently, strive to remedy.

“No one should be shot in broad daylight despite filing multiple reports [Bernice Cassar], raped and murdered while on a walk [Paulina Dembska], brutally run over while walking on her birthday [Pelin Kaya] or have their families wait 18 years for juries to commence [Sion Grech]”.

The student organisation stressed that the discussions should focus on the following points: The need for more effective policing, the improvement and strengthening of the Domestic Violence Unit to effectively deal with those threatening or performing moral or physical violence with particular and focused protection on victims, the need for more judges and magistrates to reduce the serious backlog of cases that the Courts currently have and working towards reducing court delays by implementing the existing reforms more effectively.

The KSU stressed that this is not a partisan issue and that “such miscarriages have plagued victims’ protection for decades. Irrespective of political allegiance, the protection and dignity of human life should never be compromised”, adding that “where necessary and effective procedures and systems are missing, it is our collective duty to propose, discuss and implement the appropriate mitigation measures that must be taken to ensure justice, dignity and the protection of life”.

The open letter was endorsed by ASCS, BETA PSI, ELSA Malta, ESO, GħST, GUG, HoASA, ICTSA, JCA, JEF Malta, KSJC, MBSA, MMSA, Pulse, S-Cubed, SACES, SDM, SĦS, TDM 2000, Third Eye, UESA and UM Rowing.