A new dedicated board to provide immediate assistance to victims of domestic violence, especially those in a highly vulnerable state, has been announced.

”This is a reality that exists and will continue to exist, and it is our duty to do everything possible with the aim of preventing tragedies. While we have already been assisting the Police with valuable information, they can now take much more immediate action,” stated Minister for Social Policy Michael Falzon.

Following a recommendation from the magisterial inquiry into the murder of Bernice Cassar, the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Meeting, or MARAM, was established in February and started functioning in March.

Now, this board has been set up to conduct an evaluation of cases that are referred from the risk assessment made by the victim who has filed an initial report with the Police.

Various experts, primarily those from the health, police, social welfare, and education sectors, as well as Aġenzija Sedqa, will send cases to MARAM for analysis where there is a high risk of serious threat to the victim or their immediate relatives.

Chairperson of MARAM, Ruth Sciberras, mentioned that all professionals received training in the United Kingdom from experts in the field to have a multidimensional understanding of the situation.

This is to ensure that they are in a position to act promptly in the best interest of the victims.

MARAM has dealt with 74 significant cases since 13th June, of which 63 involved women, three involved men, and eight involved adult children who physically abused their parents.

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