Statistics show that one European woman in five experienced violence by her male partner at some point in her life, said the parliamentary secretary in the social policy ministry, Antoine Mifsud Bonnici.
Globally, women aged between 15 and 44 are more likely to be maimed or die as a result of men`s violence than through cancer, malaria, road accidents or war combined.
In the UK, a woman died every three days as a result of domestic violence, he said.
"Violence at home and in relationships may be one of the most prevalent forms of violence, but it is also the least visible and hardest to deal with," he said.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici was speaking at the opening of a training programme on domestic violence for the Appogg agency, being held between yesterday and Friday, conducted by trainers from the Tavistock Clinic in London, provided through a grant from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The domestic violence unit within Appogg provides social work services to adults and their children suffering abuse in family and intimate relationships.
It specialises in support and empowerment of the person being abused, help to find shelter when requested and links them to necessary services.
The unit is committed to the promotion of a society with zero tolerance to violence. In seven years, over 2,000 cases of domestic violence have been dealt with at Appogg, 507 cases last year alone.
"In the last years, we have seen the courts take a harsher stand on domestic violence and the message is clearly coming through that there is zero tolerance to violence, especially in the family," he said.
The spectrum of services continues to widen. A new residential centre was opened offering an emergency service to women victims of domestic violence and their children. The government also reached an agreement with the Church to open another residential service for women and their children who need sheltering for long periods.
Appogg also furnishes men`s services, committed to enhancing the safety of women and children by providing professional therapy groups for men who engage in abusive behaviour.
However, Dr Antoine Mifsud Bonnici said that a law on domestic violence in Malta was still lacking.
"Much spade work has been carried out to finalise this law so that it could be brought for approval before the cabinet.
"The law against domestic violence could be interpreted most effectively if it is considered within the implementation of the reform of the Family Court."