Rape reports triple in a decade – police data
23 rapes were reported in 2015, rising to 60 in 2025, with the majority of victims being foreign women
The number of rape cases reported to the police has almost tripled over the past decade, with the majority of victims being foreign women, according to police data.
The figures show that 23 rapes were reported in 2015, rising to 60 in 2025.
Over the 10-year period, a total of 370 rapes were reported, involving 343 female victims and 27 male victims. Most victims – 219 – were foreign nationals, while 151 were Maltese.
The number of foreign victims outnumbered the Maltese victims across all years – except in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the years of the coronavirus pandemic.
The data also shows an increase in the number of male victims reporting rape. While there were no male victims in 2015 and one victim in 2016, the number began rising after 2020, reaching six in 2024 and eight in 2025.
This year, the case of an alleged male rape made the headlines when four men were charged in connection with the unlawful detention and assault on the victim.
The victim was allegedly lured to a San Ġwann butcher shop, tied up with cable ties, beaten unconscious, robbed, threatened with a knife and sexually assaulted with objects while being filmed on April 21.
Over the 10-year period, a total of 370 rapes were reported, involving 343 female victims and 27 male victims. Most victims – 219 – were foreign nationals, while 151 were Maltese.Not all rape reports make it to court
The four men charged in connection with the alleged assault are Jordan Azzopardi, 36, Abdulmomen Abudagil, 23; Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, 34, and Noureddin Amer Miloud Almahmoudi, 39, a shop worker. The case is still ongoing.
Not all rape reports make it to court – as evidenced in a recent court decision that followed a police report lodged in 2022 by Emma Agius, who claimed she was raped by a care worker she met during her stay at Mount Carmel Hospital. According to her account, the man later went to her home after she contacted him for assistance.
She said she did not consent and told investigators she pretended to remain asleep after waking to find him touching her before raping her.
A magisterial inquiry interpreted her silence as consent and the attorney general concluded there were insufficient grounds to prosecute.
In a landmark judgment, Mr Justice Mark Simiana overturned the attorney general’s decision not to prosecute – ruling that silence does not amount to consent.
The information provided by the police did not include data – requested after the Agius case – on how many rape reports ended up in court.
Victims who need support can reach out for help to Victim Support Malta.
The charts show the increase in rape cases and how most victims are foreign women.