The number of reported domestic violence cases doubled in three years, according to details given out at a seminar that closed a week of awareness about abuse. Senior university lecturer Marceline Naudi said according to data she collected, last year there were 1,028 police reports of domestic violence, including grievous bodily harm and stalking.
Of these, 351 were psychological and 592 were slight bodily harm by physical force. This compares to 848 cases in 2011, 659 in 2010 and 543 cases in 2009.
Dr Naudi, who heads the Gender Studies Department at the University of Malta, has been collecting figures for the past 20 years from parliamentary questions, court reports, and personal contacts.
She told those present for the seminar organised by the Commission on Domestic Violence, that in 2012 the Aġenzija Appoġġ Domestic Violence Unit had 300 new cases and it worked on a total of 668, but there were still 30 on the waiting list in December.
“It is shocking and demoralising for social workers that a waiting list exists,” she said, calling for more resources. Waiting lists for these cases were “not acceptable”.
Ms Naudi also urged for more intensive data collection for a clearer picture on the situation.
“These numbers tell us something, but they are not telling us everything. We have pieces from a puzzle that do not fit together and it would be lovely to have pieces that fit together to get the whole picture.”
Her call for data collection was reiterated by the commission’s chair Yana Micallef Stafrace, who said that because of lack of data, legislators and policymakers were only guessing that they had the right approach.
Dr Micallef Stafrace described domestic violence as a public health issue.
“We need to focus on this scourge because how can I be happy knowing there are women and children out there living in hell,” she asked.
Social Solidarity Minister Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca referred to the Istanbul Convention which emphasised the need for comparable data.
“In Malta we do collect some data, however, this is unfortunately very little and definitely not enough. The limited data we have is also present within different entities, which may not be comparable, and is certainly not comprehensive,” she noted.
She said the country required a more thorough, research-based approach, adding that a few days ago she noted there was no data on the correlation between bullying at schools and domestic violence.
According to a 2011 international reading survey, 42 per cent of Maltese students who took part in the survey reported that they never experiencing bullying.
However, 36 per cent and 22 per cent of students respectively said they experienced bullying on a monthly and a weekly basis.
Bullying at school could be the result of bullying at home, or it could even result in bullying at home. What the Domestic Violence Unit came across then, was the “tip of the iceberg”, Ms Coleiro Preca said.
She asked the commission to carry out a survey to determine whether this relation existed, noting she had discussed it with Dr Micallef Stafrace, and had agreed to partner with the University of Malta.
Meanwhile, the government had also approved funds to set up the Sexual Assault Response Team which was earmarked to start in 2014.
It will be set up as a public-social partnership and will provide early intervention and timely action, improve access to services and ensure the collection of scientific information.
During her speech, Ms Coleiro Preca also noted that the NGO coalition Men Against Violence formed on Monday would help bring about the much needed change in mentality, culture and attitudes.
Unfortunately, rape was still taboo in Malta, as seen from the records of the Domestic Violence Unit. Although in the first six months of this year 423 cases of domestic violence were reported, no reports of rape were filed with Appoġġ since 2001, she added.