The Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana has attended a conference which discussed domestic violence in our society.
The conference provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the circumstances that many people live through every day.
Present for the event were students from the Sir Michelangelo Refalo Sixth Form in Victoria.
The Minister noted how in these situations many people, including adolescents and children, sometimes feel impotent, wanting to help, but are not able to.
She referred to Gender-based Violence and explained how this kind of violence can lead to mental health problems, exclusion, and poverty.
Dr Caruana stressed that violence is never acceptable and encouraged each one of the students present to build the necessary skills to identify circumstances of abuse even at an early stage of a relationship, so that they can protect themselves and others.
As well as this conference the Ministry for Gozo co-ordinated activity with MCAST Gozo students [1], who held placards with messages against domestic violence and abuse.
Photograph: MGOZ/George Scerri