Little proof, little help

Respondents laid out several reasons for their dissatisfaction, a common theme was the need for victims to present proof, like images, footage or medical certificates before they can receive any support. Worse still, some victims were told that the abuse needed to get worse before authorities could take any action.

“The situation needed to get to an extremely bad point before we were taken seriously. And the offender is not currently facing charges,” a girl under the age of 16 wrote about reporting her father to the police. This person detailed being physically and verbally abused since she was a toddler.

One woman detailed the discouraging experience she had when reporting her ex-partner who had been stalking her for months and threatened to kill her and her new partner.

She allegedly waited for four hours to be seen by an officer and was told to wait another two to get a risk assessment done. At this point, it was 11pm and she was with her child so she decided not to do the risk assessment.

Since she had no proof, she was told that the police couldn’t do anything but write a note about her case. She allegedly went back multiple times and they would keep asking her for proof even when she requested a restraining order.  Eventually, the authorities gave him a warning.

“The last time I contacted the police I cried and said, ‘So you can’t do anything until he harms me?’ and they said yes. I walked out crying and never went back.”

One woman went to the police battered and bloody with a broken nose after escaping her home barefoot. She was told to go to a polyclinic and then go back to the station. Due to her state of shock, she didn’t. She spent hours in her car and eventually went back home.

In another article compiling the recommendations issued by survivors in this survey, one person said that police should be able to intervene especially when there are obvious injuries.

Another person was told to get a medical certificate before making a report to the police after his mother smashed his head on a table.

“I was under too much shock to do that. I have no clue how I arrived back home.”

Barriers in the reporting process and delayed court procedures

Respondents frequently described significant delays in police responses and procedural barriers that discouraged them from pursuing action.

After spending hours filing a report, a number of respondents were extremely disappointed in the court delays that followed, with one person saying she’s been waiting for over a year and a half to be summoned by the courts. In the meantime, she continues to be subjected to stalking and harassment.

“I’ve given up reporting in vain.”

In cases where reports were successfully lodged, some respondents felt like they were forgotten as soon as they “stepped out of the police station”.

“No follow-up, no support. All they did was log my statement.”

Another survivor said she has been battling her aggressors for six years in court.

Earlier this week, Lawrence Quintano – a retired judge leading the inquiry set up to determine how the state’s social services handled Ghirxi’s case after she reached out for assistance – called on court authorities to take action to address the backlog of domestic violence cases, noting that such cases could not wait.

In his recommendations, Quintano said that it was imperative that protection orders are issued without delay by duty magistrates. If necessary, pending cases could be distributed to other magistrates until more are recruited, the report states.

Lack of immediate action or protection

Some reported that while officers seemed empathetic, they didn’t take immediate effective action to address the situation. In fact, the majority of the recommendations issued by survivors in this survey called for immediate action or at least protection after a report is lodged or the authorities are called.

“I used to report his violence but never felt I would be protected at all. They seemed to empathise with you but the feeling of fighting on your own is very strong.”

In other cases, the responses felt “cold and emotionless”.

“One time, I had filed a police report with a recording of my father threatening to seriously hurt me. I was immediately told that the case will go to court whether I like it or not. I was not given any emotional support. They simply took my statement, barely listened to the recording, and advised me not to sleep at home that night.”

In court, this same person was “strongly advised to forgive” her father so that the case does not become more serious.

“The judge told me to ‘respect my parents’ and told my father to ‘make (me) a nice hot chocolate with extra cream when (we) get home’. I was in shock by this treatment of a victim in court. I am still disgusted to this day.”

Her father used to hit, beat and violently shout at her mum, herself and her sister.

Many felt like very little was done to protect them or investigate their claims further. In some cases, reports of violations of protection orders would also prove futile.

“The police made the temporary protection order; however, despite many reports, he was able to roam free. He could have killed me. Many times he would be meters away, and I would file a report, and then they would just put it in their file, and nothing would happen. This was in 2017-2018, but luckily, I have survived.”

Supportive and positive police response

“The police were very helpful, understanding and gave me support, but he would return home often as he needed to have a place to stay. When I put my foot down and told the authorities that I wasn’t feeling safe, they made him leave forever.”

“The police always took the matter seriously. They understood me and protected me,” she continued.

“I filed many reports with the police and they were very helpful and supportive. He was eventually prosecuted, but when it came to me giving evidence, I was such a nervous wreck, I said the wrong dates and he was let off.”

“Appoġġ and the Żejtun police officers were very very supportive. I owe my life to them! Can’t praise them enough. I was treated very well and with utter respect. Will never complain about how they treated me,” another woman said.

Malta Police Force response

Lovin Malta reached out to the Malta Police Force to ask about complaints received by the Professional Standards Office (PSO) which investigates allegations related to the conduct, behaviour, or performance of police officers.

It turns out that out of a total of 594 investigations carried out by the PSO since 2022, seven were related to cases of domestic violence. During this period, the police received 5,192 reports of domestic abuse.

The spokesperson added that the police also gauges customer feedback and since its introduction in 2023, it received an average rating of 87.5% overall customer satisfaction concerning the services offered by the Police Gender-Based and Domestic Violence Unit. This unit was established in October 2020 and is staffed by over 60 specialists.

“We do, however, recognise that this is not scientific since feedback is provided by our clients on a voluntary basis.”

Since 2020, the number of domestic violence reports has increased significantly, and this is attributed to a more professional and empathetic service by the Police and greater awareness of services available, including through a Handbook for Victims of Domestic Abuse published by the Malta Police earlier this year, the spokesperson continued.

Responding to some of the allegations made by the respondents in Lovin Malta’s survey, the spokesperson outlined the procedure followed during cases of domestic abuse. He explained that a Standard Operating Procedure defines the expected policing response to domestic abuse incidents and their subsequent investigation.

With the aim to prioritise more serious domestic abuse cases over others, when multiple victims of domestic violence are awaiting assistance, the first responding GBDVU officers shall complete a Preliminary Risk Assessment.

This is different from the risk assessment conducted by Appoġġ’s risk assessors which assessment is carried out to help them identify those who are at high risk of harm and whose cases should be referred to a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Meeting (MARAM) in order to manage the risk. A referral ensures that a full assessment of their safety and welfare is made.

Whether a risk assessment is carried out or not, once a police report is filed, the police are bound by law to investigate (ex-officio).

During the police investigations, the alleged perpetrator will be duly spoken to by the police and, based on the outcome of said investigations, court action will follow. Risk assessments are only carried out on victims of domestic abuse and these are spoken separately from the alleged aggressors.

It must be noted that the GBDVU was established to sharpen authorities’ reaction and increase their resources when responding to cases of domestic violence. It’s also intended to make victims feel more comfortable to report abuse.

In fact, comparing the number of DV reports in 2020 and 2023, they’ve gone up by almost 400.