WATCH: Domestic Violence Campaigns Must Also Target Abusers To Be Effective, Lydia Abela Says
Lydia Abela, lawyer and wife of the Prime Minister, thinks domestic violence campaigns must also target the perpetrators in order to be effective.
After launching Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence, Abela told Lovin Malta that we cannot solely focus on victims of abuse if Malta wants to tackle domestic violence holistically.
“In these sixteen days of activism against domestic violence, we’re listening to victims and their first-hand experiences to understand what is needed to solve the crisis.”
“But we must also address the perpetrators and understand the reasons they turn to abuse. We want to tackle domestic violence holistically,” Abela explained.
The two-week campaign, launched a day before International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, looks to raise awareness on the stark realities faced by domestic violence survivors.
Domestic violence is a sore issue in Malta.
Reports of abuse have been on a constant rise since the beginning of the decade. Last year saw 1,325 abuse reports, roughly four cases every single day. 2020 has already beaten that record by 15%, and when you consider that 85% of assaults fly under the police’s radar, we’re just looking at the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile, more than 96% of domestic violence cases in Malta have failed to result in convictions.
Reforms have been introduced to tackle the problem. A new unit to streamline reports of gender-based violence was set up within the police force.
This year also saw the launch of a 24/7 hotline for domestic violence abuse victims called the Malta Legal Aid Agency. At the conference, Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rosianne Cutajar said that 170 victims made us of the service since its launch in April.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis added that domestic violence is a “societal plague of ignorance” and that no law is going to completely eliminate the problem.
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