The photo of a hastily dropped handbag and shopping bags, close to a solitary flip-flop cordoned off by police, said it all. It zoomed in on the fear that must have gripped Catherine Agius, the 40-year-old mother of three, when she came face to face with her estranged husband as she stepped off the bus.

Roger Agius, 47, last month allegedly stabbed his wife with a 30-centimetre blade then went to the police station to hand himself over while his wife was writhing in pain - she died later that day in hospital. It emerged in court that Mr Agius had warned the victim's sister he would stab his wife if he did not get half their property during separation proceedings. That same week, two men were separately charged with beating their partners.

Domestic violence is "alive and well", as Social Solidarity Minister John Dalli pointed out a few months ago. Last year, there were 719 people arraigned on such abuse. In Europe, domestic violence is the major cause of death and disability for women aged between 16 and 44, accounting for more deaths and ill health than cancer or traffic accidents, according to the Council of Europe. Malta's figures are equally shocking. About 40 per cent of women murdered since the 1800s were killed by their husbands, the common motives being infidelity or family disputes.

In the vast majority of domestic violence cases the victim is a woman. This underlines the fact that many men believe their wife is their property once they're married.

This tragedy has to stop. Everybody has a role in helping women trapped in such situations to break free from their invisible chains. All too often their self-esteem has been crushed; they are financially dependent on the aggressor; their support network has been eroded; and betraying their partner in court is too difficult.

The Commission on Domestic Violence has urged the public to do their civic duty and adopt an attitude of zero tolerance to violence by exposing what goes on behind closed doors. We can no longer pussyfoot around the issue and close an ear to the screaming because it happens in another house - domestic violence is a matter of public, not private, concern.

But more needs to be done. There have to be proper mechanisms in place to provide those women, who blame themselves and conjure up excuses for their partner's behaviour with the means to unshackle themselves from the daily torment.

It was welcome news recently that the commission has set up a task group to explore the potential of a sexual assault response team to provide holistic support. But there also has to be harmonisation between the statistics and services provided by the police, courts and the welfare system, to ensure women do not fall through the safety net.

Everybody will recall the cold-blooded murder of Josette Scicluna, 32, of San Ġwann, who was stabbed 49 times by her partner in front of their seven-year-old daughter in 2004. She had been beaten several times before and a probation officer testified that David Norbert Schembri - who has since been sentenced to life - was still testing positive for cocaine and threatening Ms Scicluna despite being under probation. Instead of converting the probation order into a punishment, the court had extended the man's probation period.

Are the pleas for help being ignored? The Domestic Violence Act of 2005, which gave victims increased protection and witnesses the power to file a report, was a step in the right direction, but it is clearly not enough.