In June 2025, a retired Maltese bishop caused a stir when he said on TV that abuse victims should first be encouraged to forgive their abusers before going to the police.
As backlash grew, George Frendo apologised, saying he had not meant that forgiveness should substitute reporting such crimes to authorities.
But the bishop’s initial statement left its mark on one woman. They were the same words Frendo had told her years ago, when as a child she was abused by a man they both knew.
In this Times Talk episode, the woman speaks out about her years of abuse at the hands of a relative, the damage Frendo’s advice did to her and why she has decided to go public now.
We also speak to Frendo, who explains why he felt it was not his place to report the abuse at the time, and what he wishes he had done differently.