Malta: More domestic violence cases reported since 2016

The number of persons using domestic violence services increased by 26 percent between 2016 and 2018. Figures by the National Statistics Office show that there were a total 2,285 service users during 2018, 210 more than in 2017 and 469 more than 2016.

An increase was also registered in the number of people seeking services for a second or third time, rising from 369 in 2016 to 504 in 2018.

In the three years under review, the largest number of domestic violence were registered with the Police, with just under 4,300 reports received between 2016 and 2018. There has, meanwhile, been an increase in cases registered with other services including shelters, emergency health services, Victim Support Malta, and the Domestic Violence Unit within Aġenzija Appoġġ.

The share of victims referred to Aġenzija Appoġġ grew to two-fifths of all cases in 2018, up from a third two years before.

Domestic violence reports have increased among both women and men over the three-year period, but violence against women surpasses 80 percent of the total cases in all three years.