Social workers have expressed “deep concern” about the police’s inadequate handling of a rape victim’s case and said that the criminal justice system must develop a victim-centred approach.

The Maltese Association of Social Workers was reacting to an article published by Times of Malta which told the story of a rape victim who has yet to be interviewed by the police about the assault, 15 months after it happened.

“The inspector in charge of my case, only spoke to me briefly, for a couple of minutes, after the assault,” the victim said.

“He did not go to my workplace to see, with his own eyes, the blood-stained room. We deposited the attacker’s glasses and mobile phone at the police station ourselves.

“The police never collected the blood-stained clothes I wore that day, which I still have in my possession.”

In a statement on Monday, the MASW said that cases such as this made it harder for victims to speak up.

While it lauded the creation of a victim support unit within the police force as a positive step, it said that much more needed to be done.

“MASW hopes that this case is investigated without further delay and that the alleged victim is interviewed. Failure to do the latter will most likely cause the victim to re-live the trauma in her mind which causes immeasurable damage,” the association said.

It called for the creation of a victim-centric justice system, the creation of more effective support systems for victims in which they were empowered to speak up, as well as additional resources for the police force, most notably its vice squad, to meet the high demand of cases they face.

“Such situations have a severe negative impact on the credibility of the whole system which is a massive barrier for current and future victims to speak up and report,” the MASW said.

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