Domestic violence is "alive and well" in Maltese society but more women are prepared to take action to escape abusive situations, Social Policy Minister John Dalli said yesterday.
His comments were backed by figures: between January and October, the police initiated criminal proceedings against 241 persons over offences relating to domestic violence, a number that, however, may represent only part of the problem.
Last year, the Domestic Violence Services of Appoġġ received 524 referrals and 479 cases were opened.
Cases lodged in the Police Incident Report System rose by 50 per cent to 341 last year, from 228 in 2005, before the Domestic Violence Act came into force.
Mr Dalli was addressing a conference, Working Together To Combat Domestic Violence, organised by the Commission for Domestic Violence to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The focus was on concerted action by different professions in the sphere to improve the services on offer.
A holistic approach and good liaison between the police, social workers, lawyers and the courts were called for to make life easier for the victims.
"We need to ensure that, when they make this big step, the services are ready to help them through the maze of difficulties they face."
Ensuring that existing resources were used effectively was one way forward to minimise any undue bureaucracy, he said.
The law, which came into force in 2006, allows for protection orders that include the possibility of compelling the perpetrator to leave the common residence, a point that was stressed by keynote speaker Judge Silvia Thaller, legal adviser in the Penal Legislation Department of Austria's Justice Ministry, who insisted it was not the victim who should seek refuge.
Domestic violence was a matter of public concern and not a private matter, meaning the role of the police had to be redefined in that they were not dealing with "family disputes" and "settling conflicts".
"We have to stand up to the belittlement of domestic violence," she said, insisting on state reaction that did not downplay the situation.
Speaking about the popular Austrian model, Judge Thaller said eviction orders were imposed by the police and their acceptance rate was high, with only one in 10 offenders disregarding them by returning home.
Police sent a report on every prohibition order they issued to intervention centres within 24 hours, she said.
In his closing address, Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici stressed on education's central role in getting the message across to the victims that it was in their interest to report abuse at the earliest.
"We are dead-set against the fact that victims of domestic violence often believe things will change for the better," he said, pointing out that crimes often remained hidden until victims suffered repeatedly.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici maintained that the changes contemplated in the Domestic Violence Act may have been implemented too quickly for society to absorb them.
"We must, therefore, continue striving to get the victims of domestic violence to put their fear behind them and come forward in reporting their abuse."
His ministry is due to publish a White Paper on Restorative Justice, which provides for victim-offender mediation and victim reparation by the perpetrator.