Domestic violence in Malta : are the existing laws and procedural frameworks sufficient?

Abstract

Domestic violence is a topic that is very close to my heart because it may happen to anyone and it affects all social classes, everyone can become a victim and getting out of such a situation alone is not easy, I look at it as a disease that affects lives and it is very difficult to eradicate just like diseases are. Nowadays individuals want to throw in prison people who mistreat animals and those who hurt children but most keep quite when a person is a victim of domestic violence, it is swept under the carpet and not spoken about, or not given the importance it should be given. There have been various cases of domestic violence in Malta, wherein the victims ended up being murdered. The Domestic Violence Act in Malta covers any kind of violence suffered by a family member, an intimate partner or an ex-partner, and both the victim and perpetrator may be of either sex. Looking at the laws enacted by other countries, one may notice that Malta’s Domestic Violence Act caters for both sexes and for all kinds of violence, whereas most other foreign laws cater for women only as victims. The purpose of this research is to point out any flaws or lacunae that might put the victims at risk and to try to ameliorate the services offered to the victims.