135 domestic violence victims had requested and were given free legal advice by specially-trained lawyers hired by the government, according to Justice and Equality Minister Edward Zammit Lewis.

In April, the Justice and Equality Ministry announced that domestic violence victims can request free legal advice, will be able to call a 24 hour number and be given an appointment with a lawyer. If that lawyer chosen for the case believes that there are grounds for the victim to proceed with a civil court case against the aggressor, the victim will then receive free legal representation.

PN spokesperson Claudette Buttigieg asked how many victims had requested and used this service since it was first announced.

According to Zammit Lewis, three lawyers have been appointed for this service by the Malta Legal Aid Agency.

This service began on 26 April 2020, where three victims were assigned a lawyer. The following month, 22 victims had been assigned a lawyer and 41 (the highest number) of victims were assigned a lawyer for assistance in June. In July, 32 domestic violence victims were provided with legal assistance, whilst in August 14 were given such assistance. September saw 18 victims provided with such assistance and up until 2 October a further five were assigned a lawyer to provide them with the necessary advice.