The Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations in Vienna
participated in the 31st session of the Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) of the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC), which was held between 16-20 May 2022. The theme of this
year’s Commission focused on strengthening the use of digital evidence in
criminal justice and countering cybercrime, including the abuse and
exploitation of minors in illegal activities with the use of the Internet.
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Malta to the United
Nations in Vienna, H.E. Ambassador Meli-Daudey delivered a national statement
during the General Debate of the Conference. In her speech, H.E. the Ambassador
welcomed the timely discussion about the development of use of digital evidence
and highlighted Malta’s own initiatives to build the capacity of law
enforcement and criminal justice actors to enhance the prevention, enforcement,
and judicial prosecution of cyber-related crimes. The statement also strongly
condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine, underscoring the correlation of the rise
between crimes including human trafficking and gender-related criminal activity
in conflict scenarios such as Ukraine and Afghanistan. The conflict in Ukraine was
raised in a number of interventions, as the international community underscored
that it could not proceed with business as usual in the face of unjustified
Russian military aggression against an independent and sovereign country.
The Commission successfully
negotiated and adopted four resolutions by consensus. Malta joined its fellow
EU member states in co-sponsoring three of these resolutions, which focused on
(i) the International Crime Congress; (ii) rehabilitation and reintegration of
offenders; and (iii) protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse. These agreed texts will assist the
international community in consolidating efforts to prevent crime and
strengthen criminal justice, in the face of the fast pace of criminal
innovation. The Commission also featured
thematic discussions on strengthening the use of digital evidence, which
allowed for an intensive exchange of views and best practises, between the 130
participating countries.
In the margins of the CCPCJ, the Permanent Mission hosted a virtual side-event on 17 May 2022, entitled, “Combatting
and Criminalizing Gender-Based Violence and Femicide”. The event generated
significant interest amongst the international community in Vienna, and was
co-sponsored by Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, Italy, the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Sweden, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom, the United States of America and the UNODC Crime Prevention and
Criminal Justice Section and the UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch.
Introductory remarks were delivered by H.E. Ambassador Natasha
Meli Daudey, who spoke about ongoing efforts to stem Gender-Based Violence and
introduce Femicide into Malta’s Criminal Code, paying respect to Paulina
Dembska’s memory, together with all victims of such heinous crimes. This was followed
by a panel discussion featuring Lara Dimitrijevic, lawyer and women’s rights
activist (Malta), Marie-Therese Prantner, Head of National Coordination Body on
Violence Against Women, Head of Violence Prevention and Protection, Federal
Chancellery of Austria (Austria), Gian Beeli, Head Domain Violence, Federal
Office for Gender Equality, Federal Department of Home Affairs (Switzerland)
and Kathleen Coogan, Senior Advisor for Criminal Justice Integration and
Gender, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs (USA) and was moderated by Angela Me, Chief of the UNODC
Research and Trend Analysis Branch. The insightful panel discussion delved into
the causes and consequences of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, including entrenched
and cross-cultural gender norms. The panel also elaborated on what should be
done in order to address such crimes, underscoring the importance of legal
definitions and data collection.
