Newly-appointed Domestic Violence Commissioner Yana Micallef Stafrace believes that “many, many” cases of abuse still go unreported and she intends to work to continue addressing this.
A lawyer by profession, her experience in court opened her eyes to this reality and she is now in a position to do something about it.
Domestic Violence Commissioner Yana Micallef Stafrace. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli“There is a lot of hidden domestic violence and reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg. I see this in my profession. I’ve had many, many clients who are in an abusive relationship and, for whatever reason, remain in that relationship.
“Sometimes it’s the finances, sometimes it’s because they don’t think they deserve any better, sometimes it’s the kids and sometimes they are not even aware they are victims,” Dr Micallef Stafrace said.
A 2010 study on the prevalence of domestic violence in Malta showed that a quarter of women have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused by their husband or partner.
Sometimes they are not even aware they are victims
As the new chairwoman of the Domestic Violence Commission it is now Dr Micallef Stafrace’s role to advise the Government on policy to fight this hidden abuse.
In the past Dr Micallef Stafrace, who is married and has a 10-year-old son, was involved in women’s movements including Moviment Mara Maltija that helped set up a help line for domestic violence victims. She was also involved in drafting a White Paper on domestic violence in the late 1990s. Together with her deputy, Renee Laiviera, and the other board members she will start with continuing on the work and projects of her predecessor – Joanna Xuereb.
“A lot has been done in terms of awareness and education but there is still lots more to be done,” the 50-year-old lawyer said as she sat in her Valletta office.
Awareness-raising had to target children, educators, the courts, police, families, doctors and the emergency services, among others, she said.
So far the new board only had one meeting and the handover was still going on so it was early to list specific projects.
However, she added, the board was aware of key issues which they would keep in mind when making their decisions and recommending policies.
These issues included the length of time it took for the courts to decide cases, sometimes not out of the fault of the magistrate.
Perhaps it was time to look at different setups of the Family Court when it came to tackling domestic violence to make it a less “adversarial” and more “supportive” setup, she said.
There was also the need for more coordination between the courts and support facilities such as the social services.
Other issues to be kept in mind were the importance that a victim was financially independent as that made it easier to walk away from abuse.
Besides, although it was estimated that some 97 per cent of victims are women, the board was very much aware that men were also victims and that domestic violence was not limited to any locality or social class, she said.