Malta has made progress in preventing and combating violence against women since 2020, including through comprehensive national strategies, stronger measures of prevention and specialised police units, according to a report published today by the Council of Europe's Group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence (GREVIO).
However, further action is urgently needed to ensure that victims receive the protection, support and justice required under the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention).
The report - the first thematic evaluation round entitled "Building trust by delivering support, protection and justice" - follows GREVIO's baseline evaluation report published in November 2020.
Maltese policies to reduce gender-based violence developed with the public
GREVIO welcomes Malta's adoption of two consecutive national strategies on gender-based violence and domestic violence, which broaden action beyond domestic violence to address female genital mutilation, forced marriage, rape and sexual violence, stalking, sexual harassment and the digital dimension of violence against women The report praises the Maltese authorities for paying greater attention to women facing intersectional discrimination, improving access to services in Gozo, the second largest of the Maltese islands, and developing these policies in consultation with civil society and women's rights organisations.
The report also highlights Malta's investment in prevention through innovative awareness-raising campaigns while actively involving men and boys in efforts to combat gender-based violence. GREVIO further welcomes the expansion of multi-agency training for professionals and strengthened mandatory training for police officers and teachers.
Another positive development is the establishment of specialised gender-based and domestic-violence police hubs in both Malta and Gozo. Staffed by specially trained police officers, and supported by professionals conducting systematic risk assessments, these centres provide victims with a more supportive environment and have contributed to increased reporting of domestic violence.
More funding needed
Despite this progress, GREVIO considers that some areas require urgent action. For example, state funding remains insufficient to cover the operating costs of shelters or to offer staff competitive salaries, making it difficult to recruit and retain qualified personnel. Funding too often does not reflect the actual costs incurred by shelters, including those associated with meeting medical and other basic needs of victims and their children, or additional expenses arising from compliance with new structural requirements. Funding shortfalls have already resulted in the temporary closure of one shelter.
GREVIO moreover urges the Maltese authorities to establish dedicated rape crisis and sexual violence referral centres in both Malta and Gozo. Furthermore, the report stresses the urgent need for a standardised procedure for collecting forensic evidence and a standardised rape kit, due to its importance for the quality of evidence used in court proceedings.
Custody proceedings need to take violence into account systematically
The report highlights important shortcomings in relation to custody and visitation rights. There is no legal requirement for judges to take incidents of violence against women into account when determining custody and visitation arrangements. Custody and visitation cases are not systematically screened for possible instances of domestic violence.
GREVIO stresses the need for courts to consult all relevant authorities to determine whether criminal proceedings against the alleged perpetrator are pending or have been initiated, so that this information can be considered in custody and visitation decisions.
In addition, GREVIO calls for urgent training for judges, court experts and other professionals on domestic violence and the harmful impact of allegations of parental alienation and similar concepts. Such allegations can wrongly suggest that victims of domestic violence are manipulating their children or deliberately undermining the child's relationship with the father when they raise legitimate safety concerns about contact arrangements. This obscures the violence experienced by both the abused mother and the children, undermining their ability to obtain safe custody and visitation decisions.
In criminal justice, GREVIO highlights the urgent need for specialised training and clear guidelines for judges hearing cases involving all forms of violence against women and domestic violence.
The report has been published together with the government comments.
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GREVIO is the independent expert body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (known as the "Istanbul Convention") by the parties. Open for signature to any country in the world in addition to the 46 Council of Europe member states, the treaty has been ratified so far by 38 states and the European Union, and signed by another six.
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