Malta Women’s Lobby slams domestic violence report as ‘shirking responsibility’
NGO calls for urgent implementation plan, accountability and resources to protect victims
The Malta Women’s Lobby on Thursday slammed a parliamentary report on domestic violence, accusing it of “shirking responsibility” and failing to ensure accountability for systemic shortcomings that deny victims justice and safety.
The NGO was reacting to the publication of the parliamentary report issued by the Social Affairs Committee on violence against women following discussions held on the subject in parliament in the summer of 2024.
The report contains a list of clear recommendations and identifies systemic gaps that need to be addressed in relation to the risk assessment process, the police, the medical field, the judicial and court systems, shelters, social services, and the education field, among others.
Victims who appeared before the Committee described harrowing experiences including that they did not find support or were not believed when they reported the violence. Many complained of a system that gives more power to the aggressor than to them. Experts complained that things are not being run according to the Istanbul Convention.
The lobby group said it was now time for the government to follow up on this report and publish an implementation plan with timelines and resourcing, including the additional resources the report says are needed to address the multiple problems identified.
“Sadly the report takes a very defeatist approach,” MWL said.
The report quoted a victim saying: “The cycle of abuse doesn’t simply stop. Can it be prevented? Yes. Can the narrative be changed? Yes. But it can’t be eliminated entirely. Abuse is part of human nature… A piece of paper won’t save you. No rules or laws will save you. If he intends to kill you, he will.”
The NGO accused the report of using the experience of this victim “to shirk responsibility, and holds no entity/department/commission accountable for the lack of proper action.”.
“With each failure, we are denying justice and safety, we are ensuring the perpetrator is not deterred, and we are guaranteeing the continuation of such abhorrent action. Rather than a defeatist approach, we demand action now, one that does not re-victimise the weak and gives a strong message that our country does not tolerate violence.”
The lobby group questioned whether the government was “ready to adhere to the Istanbul Convention” in ensuring that the aggressor is removed from the matrimonial home rather than the victim.
It also asked for an update on the risk assessment audit carried out by foreign experts and what protections are offered a victim who refuses to take the risk assessment.
The report indicates that up to 27 cases are sometimes reviewed in one Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Meeting board session due to lack of human resources.
It recommends police or the court should immediately intervene when a protection order is breached, with additional penalties imposed. It also called for the implementation of electronic tagging and panic alarms and recommends tagging alleged aggressors in high-risk cases. A new law allowing criminal offenders to be fitted with an electronic tracking device will come into force on Monday, January 19.
The report also calls for the urgent set up of a private facility at the emergency department of Mater Dei Hospital to deal with cases of domestic violence and for doctors to be adequately trained in how to deal with such cases.
Malta Women’s Lobby questioned when the authority for maintenance enforcement proposed in the report will be set up and when an educational campaign on domestic violence will start.