Domestic violence reports double in past decade

Reports of domestic violence have more than doubled over the past 10 years, according to data tabled in parliament.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri provided the information in response to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Graziella Attard Previ, who asked for yearly figures on domestic violence reports between 2014 and 2025.

In 2014, a total of 1,048 domestic violence reports were filed. By 2024, that figure had increased to 2,225.

Camilleri said the increase reflected improved access to support services and greater public willingness to come forward, particularly following the creation of the police gender-based and domestic violence Unit in 2020 and the opening of the domestic violence hub in Santa Luċija last year.

“The aim of the police and all professionals working in the Gender-Based and Domestic Violence Unit within the Police Force, which was established in 2020, and the Domestic Violence Hub in Santa Luċija, which the country has for the first time and opened in 2024, is to assist in the best way possible those who need assistance. This is clearly reflected in the higher number of reports,” Camilleri said.

Attard Previ also asked for a demographic breakdown of domestic violence reports filed last year, including the age, gender and locality of the individuals involved.

Domestic violence figures from the parliamentary question.

The data shows that, in 2024, 95 girls and 77 boys aged 0 to 17 reported domestic violence.

Among adults aged 18 to 59, there were 1,449 reports filed by women and 353 by men. An additional 136 women and 100 men aged over 60 also came forward. Fifteen reports were filed by people whose gender was not specified.

In total, 1,680 women, 530 men and 15 other individuals reported domestic violence in 2024.

The localities with the highest number of reports were St Paul’s Bay, with 149 reports, and Birkirkara, with 122. These are also Malta’s two most populous localities.

Sannat and San Lawrenz, in Gozo, along with Mdina, registered the fewest reports, with just one each. The localities of Fontana and Għasri were not included in the figures.

Malta currently has the highest rate of domestic and gender-based violence reporting in the EU, according to Eurostat figures published in November 2024. Around three-quarters of reported cases were related to psychological harm.