Sexual Offences In Malta: Here’s How Many Cases Were Reported In 2021
Sexual offences in Malta run rampant and the reports, unfortunately, do not match the realistically high rates of harassment and assault that citizens of the island are forced to endure in silence.
Nonetheless, there are still some recorded numbers that give a brief and arguably inaccurate understanding of the endemic that is sexual harassment and abuse.
These are the sexual offences reports in Malta for 2021:
In all, there were 166 reports of sexual offences and this number was divided into six sub-sections.
The first section was the defilement of minors and this, unfortunately, had the highest number with 46 reports, while reports on the sexual activity with minors amounted to 15.
Additionally, there were five reports of the grooming of minors.
Violent indecent assault had the second-highest recorded reports with 39 cases, while there were 32 reported cases of rape.
Lastly, there were 29 reported cases of indecent exposure.
Lovin Malta further reached out to the Justice Ministry to see how many of the accused in these reports were charged, how many were found guilty and how many cases are still pending.
However, we have not yet received a reply.
When considering these numbers, keep in mind that 85% of sexual assaults on the island go unreported, according to a dissertation of the University of Malta.
And only one in three victims of sexual assault reported their case to the police in 2021, data from a Maltese NGO found.
What do you make of these upsetting figures?
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