Domestic violence figures cannot be ignored and the authorities need to focus more on this problem, a survivor is urging.

“We can’t keep ignoring the figures and derailing the conversation – it is a gender problem.

“In the last five years, out of the eight murders committed by perpetrators of domestic violence, all eight victims were women,” Elaine Compagno told this newspaper following the release of data showing a tenfold increase in reports of domestic violence since 2007. Ms Compagno is the coordinator of a support group provided by the Jean Antide Foundation.

The reports totalled 116 in 2007, when the new domestic violence legislation came into force, spiking to 1,205 in 2015, according to figures compiled by criminologist Saviour Formosa.

Previously, victims could not report domestic violence as a distinct crime, but the new law created the category and encouraged victims to come forward.

A significant increase is also clear when comparing the 2015 figures with those of 2008 – when officers were more familiar with the new definition of what constituted domestic violence by law. The reports more than doubled between 2008 and 2015.

She spoke of the lenient sentencing in domesticviolence cases: how many offenders repeat the offence with impunity?

Interestingly, 77 per cent of re-ports were filed by women and 23 per cent by men in all categories.

The spike in reports could be the result of greater awareness, however it also raised the alarm for some, including the Association of Social Workers, which has said that the “worrying figures continued to confirm the need for tougher measures”.

Ms Compagno believes the surge is a result of both increased awareness and incidence.

Despite the greater awareness and a law that pushes for reports and charges, the climate is still one that tolerates violence towards women and minimises and propagates it through sexism, victim blaming, media messages of violence, violent and revenge pornography, and the acceptance of prostitution and exploita-tion of women, according to Ms Compagno.

She also spoke of the “lenient” sentencing in domestic violence cases, questioning how many offenders repeated the offence with impunity.

“This is very worrying to us. The support services are already barely coping, understaffed and under-funded. NGOs struggle to fill the gaps.  Domestic violence is a serious public health concern.

Reports of domestic violence are filed from across the island, with this map showing their prevalence by area. Map provided by Saviour Formosa

“The State is taking too long to implement the Istanbul Convention [an international treaty on combating violence against women and domestic violence.] The lack of safety and the needless loss of life is a breach of our fundamental human rights.”

Victim Support Malta’s director Roberta Lepre sees the increase in reporting domestic violence as positive, but she too called for the protection of victims.

The figures quoted in Prof. Formosa’s report “clearly” showed that more victims were coming forward to seek help, as a result of greater awareness.

According to the 2011 Domestic Violence Commission’s study of national prevalence, the actual occurrence of domestic vio-lence is much more widespread than the number of reported incidents.

“Therefore, this increase in reporting is viewed as a positive step forward.  On the other hand, however, we need to ensure that the police and all other stakeholders within the criminal justice system have adequate resources to effectively protect all victims and investigate and prosecute all offenders,” Ms Lepre said.

Prof. Formosa, who hopes his figures are followed up by policy makers, said the increase could be the result of several issues, including better awareness of the legislation and legal recourse, and services offered by NGOs, the State and private entities.

Referring to reports of psychological harm, which increased from 64 in 2008 to 554 in 2015, Prof. Formosa noted that there was an unquantified number of people who repeatedly filed reports as a precursor to the filing for separation.

Such reports were more likely filed within the psychological harm category, as it was difficult for the police to prove hard evidence of such abuse on the spot.

“This said, psychological harm is a very real phenomenon which leaves mental scars on people, who will require intensive help from specialists.”

Number of cases by category of domestic violence