Domestic violence or abuse is ‘domestic’ in nature if the perpetrator is a person who is associated with the victim.
The victims of abuse are usually women as well as children. Such abuse often leads to homelessness or even human trafficking as vulnerable and desperate victims are occasionally driven by traffickers to engage in survival sex or dealing in drugs.
A research study by Outlook Coop, on behalf of the YMCA, recently opened a window on the humiliation that victims of domestic abuse have to endure merely to survive. The anecdotal evidence gathered in this study paints a very grim picture of the challenges faced by those who live on the fringe of society because of economic dependence on their abusive partners.
The most worrying revelation that comes out of this study is that victims of domestic abuse often find that the police are not always sensitive and empathetic when dealing with these vulnerable people. Another collateral effect of domestic abuse is homelessness and forced illegal behaviour.
Even when victims of domestic abuse are employed, the escalation of rent frequently outruns their income.
Some find themselves living on the streets or in substandard accommodation. Children of victims can also be caught up in this vicious cycle. Sadly, there are not enough social housing units available to deal with these cases of human degradation.
Victims can experience many incidents of abuse before calling the police or reporting it to another agency.
While it is acknowledged that the police force is overburdened with law and order duties, the officers who deal with domestic violence need to be trained to treat the victims with respect and empathy. They also need to enforce the law especially in a cultural environment which is not always sensitive enough to the abhorrence of domestic crimes.
A recent Eurostat report placed Malta sixth-lowest among EU member states for the amount of money spent on social protection. Malta spends just 16 per cent of its GDP on social protection, 12 per cent less than the EU average. This inadequate social investment is happening at a time when the Maltese economy is among the best-performing in Europe.
Non-profit organisations are doing a formidable job in dealing with poverty issues, including homelessness and support for victims of domestic violence. But on their own, they can never do enough to mitigate the social scourge of poverty. Women and children experiencing violence and abuse have already faced intensely traumatic situations and do not need the added crisis of being homeless.
Those who work at the coalface of this scourge need to be trained to handle victims with the dignity they deserve. More needs to be done to provide adequate social housing for those who cannot help themselves because of circumstances beyond their control.
The victims of psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse can become productive members of society if they are helped to rebuild their lives with dignity. We cannot expect such people to begin the process of healing and rehabilitation if they lack an adequate home environment for themselves and their children.
If the government truly believes in social solidarity, it should do more to break the vicious cycle of domestic violence and homelessness.