A woman is partly to blame if she suffers sexual violence while drunk or high, one in five people in Malta say, with a tenth believing women are simply playing hard to get when they turn down a sexual proposal, according to a new Eurobarometer survey.
Meanwhile, a third of those surveyed think women make up or exaggerate rape claims, second only to Bulgaria.
The study surveyed 537 people across Malta to get a glimpse of attitudes about sexual violence across the country. It comes hot off the heels of another EU report which found that Malta has the highest reporting of gender-based violence in Europe.
Had your nudes leaked? You’re partly to blame, respondents say
The survey suggests that Maltese women’s safety in the online world is still elusive.
One in four say that a woman should accept sexist and demeaning comments once they share an opinion on social media.
And relatively few show sympathy towards women who unwittingly have their nude pictures shared online – if they’ve shared intimate pictures with somebody, they’re partly to blame if they are then posted online, according to 55% of respondents.
No to physical violence, but financial control still abounds
The study finds that the Maltese generally take a dim view of physical violence among partners, although they look more kindly upon a man controlling his wife’s pursestrings than most other countries.
A third of respondents say that it is acceptable for a man to control their partner’s finances under certain circumstances, slightly above the EU average.
But they draw the line at snooping through their partner’s phone. Almost nine in ten, the highest number across Europe, find it unacceptable for a man to control their partner’s social media activities and phone use.
Meanwhile, 96% say that it is unacceptable for a man to occasionally slap his partner, the third-highest in Europe, while 90% describe it as “totally unacceptable” for a man to have non-consensual sex with their partner, second only to Luxembourg.
Malta's respondents also overwhelmingly disapprove of catcalling or ogling women, with 89% describing it as "unacceptable", more than any other European country.
Nevertheless, the Maltese believe that domestic violence is widespread.
Almost two-thirds say that intimate partner violence towards women is either very or fairly common, a little lower than the EU average of 71%, while a third say that it is also common for men to be the victims.
But one in ten say that domestic violence is ultimately a private matter and should be dealt with behind closed doors.