Abuse victims are increasingly facing more vicious attacks as perpetrators continue to be treated with impunity, support workers believe, as recently published figures show assaults are on the rise.

So far this year, five people have been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with the use of a weapon, including a firearm or utensil, figures tabled in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia show. The minister was replying to a parliamentary question from MP Glenn Bedingfield.

Last year, only one person was charged with such a crime, and this year’s figure is the highest in five years. A similar trend was also noted with those charged with slight bodily harm using a weapon – nine people were taken to court so far this year, one short of the 10 charged in all of 2016.

For Victim Support Malta director Krista Tabone, this spike is not surprising, proving that in Malta, domestic violence crimes tend to go unpunished. She said that while this was something the NGO had long stated, it continued to be an issue that was not being adequately addressed.

The numbers are no surprise, because the repercussions are
not serious enough

“The numbers do not come as a surprise, because the truth of the matter is the repercussions are not serious enough. So now it’s become almost expected to have such increases, since such crimes are treated in this way,” Ms Tabone said.

Apart from the official figures, Ms Tabone added, it was important to keep in mind that there was also a good number of victims who did lodge a report with the police, something they did out of fear as well as resignation that the perpetrators would go unpunished.

The widespread concern among those working with victims is that the type of attack will only keep getting worse, and apart from more assaults, there will be more violent assaults, she said.

“We also need to remember that domestic violence isn’t only about physical abuse. It doesn’t usually start off with a person walking up and slapping another person but it evolves to that from emotional and psychological abuse.

“This then escalates to physical abuse, and all this will keep getting worse if the perpetrators continue getting away with it,” Ms Tabone warned.

Victim Support Malta has long called for harsher punishment for abusers, regularly highlighting the fact that lax punishment is not only disheartening for victims but also dangerous, as it encourages perpetrators to continue their attacks.

According to the data, 1,048 people have been charged so far this year with some form of domestic violence, with attacks ranging from bodily harm using objects to psychological harm and stalking, bringing the total number of people charged in five years to 5,517.

While attacks using objects and causing grievous bodily harm increased, psychological harm remains the most common form of abuse, with 494 people charged. Another 463 people were taken to court for causing slight bodily harm with physical force, and 22 people were charged with stalking.