Six domestic violence victims ended up at Mater Dei’s emergency room during the first month of 2020, Health Minister Chris Fearne has revealed.

Speaking after a parliamentary question from MP Silvio Grixiti, Fearne explained that as of 5th February 2020, six people were admitted to the critical department.

The number of domestic violence victims ending up at emergency has increased exponentially since 2017. There were 23 of such patients that year, 40 in 2018, and 64 in 2019.

That means that there is roughly one domestic violence victim in the emergency department each week.

However, Fearne admitted that the statistics still fail to paint a full picture on the issue in Malta, given that a number of victims fail to disclose that their injuries are the result of a domestic attack.

Domestic violence was thrust to the forefront of national debate after a 34-year-old mother of two died following a brutal knife attack by her former partner, who has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Other victims have since come forward to detail their own horrific experiences with domestic violence.

The issue is pervasive in Malta, with the police receiving over 1,300 reports of domestic violence every single year.

Laws have become more robust. However, the rate of conviction remains worryingly low. In the first nine months of 2019, just 12 people were found guilty and sent to prison for the crime.