Watchtowers across the island were lit in orange as part of a 16-day awareness campaign against domestic violence. At some point, the orange lights will go out but the watchtowers remain, as should the efforts to address this festering social wound.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, Rosianne Cutajar noted, a few days ago, that domestic violence is not an issue that can be quietly solved between the four walls of a home but is something that involves all of society.
For the victims, it is society and the institutions, there to serve and protect it, that should stand like watchtowers, a robust symbol of protection and strength. This was a point raised by Lydia Abela, the prime minister’s wife, who also rightly pointed out that victims are not mere numbers. True, but a look at the statistics tell a sad and troubling story.
Inaugurating a unit focused on tackling domestic violence and gender-based crime at the end of November – a most praiseworthy initiative – Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà said that about five domestic violence reports a day are received, adding officers are assisting 300 victims, including 90 men.
According to figures published by CrimeMalta Observatory, domestic violence is the third-highest reported offence, after theft and causing damage. The latest annual report shows that although the number of cases dropped slightly from 1,341 cases in 2018 to 1,326 last year, the relative weighting indicated an increase of 0.1 per cent to 8.5 per cent.
Cases of stalking grew by 61 per cent, grievous bodily harm with physical force by four per cent and psychological harm by three per cent. Domestic violence was mainly experienced by the 40-59 year cohort, followed by those aged between 30-39 years.
The statistics already paint a very sombre and tragic picture. Imagine what it might be like for the women and men who suffer all sorts of abuse at the hands of supposedly loved ones and in what should be the safe environment of one’s home. It is a state of affairs that a caring and modern society should never tolerate.
Hence, the need to take resolute action that is as effective and as widespread as possible. Education, awareness, empowerment, enforcement, adequate training and zero tolerance must be crucial aspects of such a plan of action.
It is possible that more cases of domestic violence and gender-based abuse are surfacing not only because of an increased incidence but also because education and awareness mean more people are willing to come forward.
That must be encouraged and sustained. Ensuring victims find a sympathetic ear and empathy when they go to the police, that they have access to legal aid even if they cannot afford it, and that members of the judiciary are sensitive to such situations and are willing to dispense justice expeditiously in such cases, is crucial.
Time is of the essence in such delicate cases because they can easily escalate tragically. In the US, Francis Hughes’s husband, James, beat her routinely for 13 years before they divorced, although he moved back that same year and her ordeal continued. Six years later, she could not take it any longer and set his bed on fire as he lay asleep after getting drunk.
Her story is told in the book The Burning Bed, which was also made into a film for TV. In that case, it was the perpetrator who met a tragic end. In most cases it is the victim.
Malta could avoid its own ‘burning beds’ if domestic violence continues to get the attention it deserves and victims are given the protection they need.