Domestic violence awareness campaigns are often so successful at getting abused women to speak up that organisers struggle to keep up with the added referrals, a leading advocate has said.
It’s difficult, but victims should know that we’ll be there for them, every step of the way
“On one hand, we tell women to call us for help, but on the other we worry about not being able to keep up with the added workload.
“We end up being victims of our own success,” said Ruth Sciberras, intake and protection service manager at the government agency Appoġġ.
As Malta’s official domestic violence support agency, Appoġġ offers its domestic violence counselling services to both victims and aggressors, regardless of their gender or sexuality.
But victims were overwhelmingly female, Ms Sciberras said.
“A big part of the problem is the way Maltese society remains so patriarchal, with many men retaining the belief that ‘I am the man, I am the boss’.
“It creates power and control issues, which can often lead to abuse.”
Unlike the average marital dispute, such abuse often ends up with victims being isolated, filled with guilt and forced to beg their partner for money.
“Women sometimes come to us with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing, with no money in their pockets and nowhere to go. Who would do that unless they were truly desperate?”
Small wonder that one of the counsellors’ first tasks when victims arrive at Appoġġ’s doors is to help them come up with a safety plan – an exit strategy – to follow if things turn sour and they are forced to flee.
And while counsellors can never tell when a new victim will appear, there is a sorry seasonality to their work.
“Christmas is always a busy period. Some women, who’ve been through it all before, know what to expect after their partner has been out drinking, so they move out for a while and only return home once things have calmed down.”
Women with nowhere to go are housed in an Appoġġ shelter, location undisclosed, which can house 13 victims and their children.
Those in need of longer term care are transferred to a second shelter.
“We generally cope, capacity-wise. It can be tight but we manage somehow,” Ms Sciberras said.
Coping was always more challenging in the middle of awareness campaigns, “which tend to bring more referrals and therefore an additional workload”.
Support from other official channels had improved immeasurably since the introduction of the Domestic Violence Act in 2006, she felt. Aside from raising domestic violence’s profile and defining it in law, the Act created a domestic violence commission, designated an official agency – Appoġġ – and gave the judiciary greater powers in punishing the crime or ordering counselling for its perpetrators.
“Police can now investigate domestic violence cases without needing the victim’s consent. Do they do so? Yes, sometimes, though more could be done.
“Things could be better but there’s a collective effort to move things forward, so that’s positive.”
But with local research finding that one in every four women – the same percentage as in the UK – will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime, Mrs Sciberras argued that the problem will not be solved until people from different backgrounds take action.
“Everybody needs to play a part – neighbours can’t look away if they see abuse, and GPs need to report abuse if they treat its victims,” she said.
“Police shouldn’t just take a woman’s word for it when she says everything’s OK.
“And if a woman forgives her husband in court, courts shouldn’t take that at face value. Did she forgive him out of fear?”
Ms Sciberras paused, mindful that many victims will never speak out about their abusive situation, let alone approach a courtroom.
“The first step is always the hardest. But many have made it through the process and come out stronger for it.
“It’s difficult, but victims should know that we’ll be there for them, every step of the way.”
Anyone in a relationship who experiences abuse can call Appoġġ’s counsellors on their domestic violence helpline 179.