St Paul's Bay, Birkirkara and Żejtun have registered the highest numbers of domestic violence reports this year, a parliamentary question has revealed.
Between January and October, the police's gender-based and domestic violence unit registered 88, 60 and 59 reports in St Paul's Bay, Birkirkara and Żejtun respectively.
Birkirkara is historically one of Malta's largest localities and St Paul's Bay has been growing dramatically in population in recent years.
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri tabled the information in parliament on Monday, in a reply to a parliamentary question by PN MP Graziella Attard Previ.
She asked him how many reports were registered and from which localities they were filed.
Qormi, Birżebbuġa, Żebbuġ and Żabbar also rank among the top localities, registering 57, 56, 54 and 52 reports respectively.
Mdina, Mtarfa and Qala, Għajnsielem, Sannat, Rabat and Żebbuġ Gozo registered the least - only one police report each.
The minister did not provide data for the rest of Gozo.
The numbers only reflect the cases reported to the police and not the actual number of domestic violence incidents. Many other cases could have gone unreported.
Byron Camilleri said that 199 people were listed as victims in more than one report, with 148 of them being women and 51 men.
A total of 16 people also asked for alternative housing when they filed the report. 14 were women and two were men.
Domestic violence concerns shot to the top of the country's agenda when Bernice Cassar - a mother of two - was killed outside her workplace last month, in a murder that shook the country to the core.
Her ex-husband, whom she reported multiple times to the police over domestic abuse, has been charged with her murder. He pleaded not guilty.
Only 7 reported sexual harassment in the workplace
Attard Previ also asked Camilleri how many reports of sexual harassment in the workplace were filed with the police this year.
Camilleri said that by the end of October, only seven reports were filed, and all of the victims were women. In six of the cases, the suspected harassers were charged in court or are in the process of being charged, he said. One other case is still being investigated.
He also said that last year, the police received eight such reports - seven of which indicated female victims and one indicated a male victim. Four of the suspected perpetrators were charged in court. In one case, the suspect was acquitted of the charged, in another case the suspect was found guilty and two other cases are still ongoing.