Victims lawyer, NGO call for independent inquiry into Nicolette Ghirxi Murder
In his post, Joseph Borda requested an inquiry similar to the Valencia Inquiry be opened so that the facts and events leading to Ghirxi’s murder may be properly examined
![Victims lawyer, NGO call for independent inquiry into Nicolette Ghirxi Murder](https://europe.easybranches.com/uploads/news/2024/08/6708143.jpg)
The lawyer of Nicolette Ghirxi, who was murdered by her ex-partner a few days ago, has called for an independent investigation into his client’s murder.
In a Facebook post, Joseph Borda recalled how in 2022, following Bernice Cassar’s murder, home affairs minister Byron Camilleri had requested an inquiry, which later became known as the Valencia Inquiry.
Months later, the inquiry, led by retired judge Geoffrey Valencia, found that the State’s lack of resources and increased workload had resulted in a failure to protect the murder victim from her aggressor.
The inquiry also recommended the introduction of electronic tagging and the increase in court resources to deal with domestic violence cases.
In his post, Borda requested a similar inquiry to be opened so that the facts and events leading to Ghirxi’s murder may be properly examined.
“Furthermore since in this case the perpetrator is dead, the finding of criminal responsibility is secondary and a magisterial inquiry would mainly be held to preserve evidence which is insufficient to serve Nicolette with justice.”
The call for an inquiry was supported by NGO, Il-Kollettiv.
On Tuesday, Il-Kollettiv noted that the frequency of such femicide cases shows that there are systemic issues which must be solved.
The NGO referred to a 2020 report by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO). "Among others, the report lists a number of serious shortcomings including the “minimal” training given to police in matters related to domestic violence, and no training whatsoever in other sectors involved in the prevention and the fight against domestic violence on women. The report said the police force isn’t trained in the dynamics of domestic violence or the gender aspect of this violence, as well as shortcomings in the need to ensure the victims’ protection."
Il-Kollettiv called for "a serious change in attitude" with regard to a number of authorities and government entities. They noted that domestic violence victims should, "not face omertà, prejudice and blame for things they haven’t done, while the national broadcaster should seek to promote an agenda against violence and discrimination of every type, also through the use of educational campaigns."