Domestic Violence has been a plague in Malta for many, many years, and while more people are standing up to such violence, it is still not enough.

The State has failed the people for too long on this subject, and it is time for this to change.

The police need to be better trained to deal with domestic violence victims, and more needs to be done to educate people about such a crime, and to encourage victims to come forward.

Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms Rosianne Cutajar wrote on Facebook that “domestic violence is the third most common crime in Malta and I am sure there are a lot of women who are passing through the same situation and abuse. As a government we need to strengthen our laws and have harsher penalties.” 

This statement shows that government intends to start tackling the issue, but we have heard such promises before.

Whatever happened to the idea of having both a female and male police officer in each station? If a female domestic violence victim walks into a station she might feel more comfortable speaking with a woman than a man, however sometimes they would only find a male officer inside. This could deter them from speaking up about their situation.

Indeed the police need to be better trained to handle first contact as well, as this would be a crucial time for the victim. The police must not only be well informed about procedure, but must also be able to sympathise and try to understand what the victim is feeling in order to adequately help them.

Malta was shocked by the murder of 34-year-old Chantelle Chetcuti, allegedly by her partner. This has restarted the debate about Malta’s domestic violence laws.

This topic should never be placed on a shelf somewhere and forgotten. It is an issue that needs to be tackled. Society must work to reduce the frequency of such a crime.

Perhaps more stringent penalties are needed in order to deter domestic violence. The government should think hard about the next steps, and some form of action in terms of changing Maltese laws and better law enforcement response is needed. The protection of such victims must be a priority.

At the same time one must keep in mind that the rights of all parties need to be protected, as there have been a few cases of false accusations in the past. And thus a balance must be found in terms of the principle of being innocent before being proven guilty, and the protection of the victims and other family members, a balance that does not sacrifice the right of alleged victims to feel safe and protected.

Domestic violence however is not only physical. Verbal abuse can also severely harm a person, make them think that they are worthless. This could cause a person to live in fear, without self-respect. This must also be kept in mind.

Perhaps a way forward would be through better education. Possibly by better training not just police officers, but also healthcare workers in terms of identifying potential abuse victims. Maybe better educating secondary school children about the harmful effects of domestic violence could help prevent such abuse from happening in the future. Perhaps organising talks and seminars for companies could also help encourage victims to come forward and speak out.

Domestic violence, while predominantly a crime against woman, also has male victims, who are less inclined to speak out about the situation due to the stigma associated with it. This stigma must also be eradicated.

Domestic violence has plagued Malta for far too many years, and there are too many of these crimes. Society needs to grow and show that such actions are not just unacceptable, but if found guilty such aggressors should face harsh punishments.