Not enough is being done to address perpetrators of domestic violence, despite support for the victims, according to Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Commission on Domestic Violence focusing on raising awareness among perpetrators about the consequences of their behaviour and the services available for them, Dr Dalli said she has been urging for such a discussion for years.

There was only one perpetrator programme in Malta, she noted, and it was offered by Agenzija Appogg.

"Although we do provide support for victims, when a victim is taken away from the perpetrator, he or she will still find another victim. We need to treat the perpetrator, because violent behaviour is not normal," she said, insisting on the need to raise awareness that violence was not acceptable in society.

"I don't think that we say and do enough, when it comes to dealing with perpetrators."

She referred to past proposals urging judges to hand down sentences obliging perpetrators to undergo treatment.

Later, she also referred to the ongoing trial by jury of Nizar El Gadi, accused of murdering his estranged wife, lawyer Margaret Mifsud who was found asphyxiated in her car at Qalet Marku in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on April 19, 2012. This trial, she said, was providing an insight into the mind of the perpetrator.

She also spoke of raising awareness among children. A lot was being done about diversity and inclusivity, and children needed to also be made aware that violence was not acceptable, so that the next generation would be less tolerant of violence and bullying, she said.

Referring to the recent uproar about the donation of a series of books by MGRM, she said there was a need for better communication with parents. In this  case, the books were meant only for libraries and teachers, in a bid to be able to make children aware of diversity, however, the idea did not go down well with all parents, she said.

If children were more aware of diversity, there would be less bullying, Dr Dalli added.

When opening the conference, Yana Micallef Stafrace, who chairs the Commission, also acknowledged that victims were the ones who usually sought help, while perpetrators often did not acknowledge they should seek help.

Dr Micallef Stafrace also thanked the minister for the "substantial increase" in the commission's budget.

The conference is ongoing.

Prof. Aisha Gill, from the University of Roehampton,spoke on different forms of abuse, which she said, was not always physical.

Perpetrators, she said, often used intimidation, said they would kill the children if they were abandoned, prevented the victim from going to work and contacting her relatives, and also excused the violence as self-defence.

The law, she noted, had blind spots, such as misclassifying victims and perpetrators when a victim retaliated and the perpetrator reported the victim.