The estranged husband of Silvana Muscat, Nour Eddine G. Ibrahim Hamid, posing on Facebook with an automatic rifle

Domestic violence survivors are tired of seeing victims “paying with their lives” and are calling on the government to implement reforms and policies offering better protection.

“The inability of front liners to properly assess the risk of the situations victims find themselves in, the inefficiency of the courts and the refusal to hand down jail terms to stop repeat offenders have a direct effect on the safety of a victim,” said Elaine Compagno, coordinator of Soar, a support and advocacy service offered by the St Jeanne Antide Foundation.

Her message was echoed by Victim Support Malta director Roberta Lepre who said the systems in place were failing to offer effective protection.

“As a country, we need to seriously invest in the protection and support of victims and in having effective judicial and law enforcement systems which truly serve justice,” she insisted.

Their comments were sought after Silvana Muscat, 36, was stabbed to death at her apartment in St Paul’s Bay. The police believe she was killed by her estranged husband, Nour Eddine G. Ibrahim Hamid who last month admitted in court to harassing and threatening Ms Muscat. He was given a six-month suspended jail term and fined €100.

That day, Magistrate Charmaine Galea told him: “I know this is a difficult time but we don’t solve problems by threatening and harassing.” She then proceeded to bind him not to harass Ms Muscat for a year against a €1,000 guarantee.

Our abusers continue to stalk us, threaten and assault us with impunity

Dr Lepre said that, despite the fact that people were being arraigned on charges related to domestic violence, effective penalties were seldom imposed.

Protection orders, that involved a level of police protection, were not resorted to enough, she said adding that such orders could be better implemented through electronic tagging.There was an urgent need for investment, Dr Lepre said, adding that cooperation between agencies was required to carry out proper risk-assessments of victims.

Ms Compagno, a domestic violence survivor, said: “We know all too well how the system has failed to keep us safe, over and over again. Many of us who have survived it have lost faith in the justice system after going through lengthy and costly processes that lead to nothing more than a slap on the wrist for the perpetrator.

“Our abusers continue to stalk us, threaten and assault us with impunity. They have us looking over our shoulders all the time, seeking therapeutic psychological remedy, prisoners even in our sleep... while they live freely and flout protection orders without immediate consequence.”

Equal Opportunities Minister Helena Dalli agreed on the need to better enforce laws protecting victims and said the police were being better trained to deal with domestic violence situations.

She encouraged people to speak up as “silence in these situations shouldn’t be an option. We owe it to the victims. There must be no excuses”.

Domestic Violence Commissioner Yana Micallef Stafrace said the St Paul’s Bay case highlighted the need to educate people about the reality of domestic violence. “This case is just the tip of a very big iceberg,” she said, stressing the importance of reporting such cases.

Additional reporting: Juan Ameen.

Domestic violence deaths

November 27, 2012: Yvette Gajda, 38, a Hungarian national, was found dead in an apartment in St Paul’s Bay after being stabbed 40 times with a pair of scissors. Her partner, Laszlo Nandor Marton, 58, is awaiting trial. He is also wanted in his home country in connection with inflicting injuries during a fight in 2010.

April 19, 2012: Lawyer Margaret Mifsud, 31, was found dead in her car in a dilapidated area just off the Coast Road, in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. Her former Libyan boyfriend, Nizar El Gadi, stands accused of murdering the mother of his two children by applying pressure to her chest and stopping her from breathing.

July 10, 2011: Karen Cheatle, 54, was found drowned in her apartment after police officers went to inform her that the lifeless body of her partner, John Agius, 52, was found hanging in his home. The police believe Mr Agius killed Ms Cheatle and then committed suicide.

June 4, 2011: A Bulgarian woman, Irena Abadzhieva, 38, was found dead in her rented flat in Buġibba with 40 stab wounds. The police launched a search for a Turkish man who used to share the flat.

December 11, 2010: Christina Sammut, 40, was shot twice in the neck while waiting in her parked van in Mġarr. Kenneth Gafà, 42, from Marsa, is awaiting trial by jury.

November 11, 2009: Lyudmila Nykytiuk, 35, died after falling down a lift shaft in a block of flats in St Paul’s Bay following a fierce argument with her husband, Sergeii Nykytiuk, a Ukrainian. In 2011, he was jailed for 25 years after jurors heard he did nothing to help his wife when he heard her crying for help, leaving her to bleed to death.

(Information compiled by police historian Eddie Attard.)