Gozo accounts for only 2.5% of domestic violence cases

There was an annual average of 24.6 cases of domestic violence – just 74 in the past three years – in Gozo, crime statistics presented in parliament show.

Between 2011 and 2013, 2,903 reports of domestic violence were made in the whole country. Although Gozo accounts for 8% of the Maltese population, cases of reported domestic violence there amounted to just 2.5% of the total number of cases.

The small community of San Lawrenz was the only locality in the entire country in which not a single case of domestic violence was reported in the past three years. In the same time-frame, only one case was reported in Ghasri and Gharb.

The highest number of cases in Gozo (19) was reported in Victoria, followed by Xaghra (12) and Nadur (8).

St Paul’s Bay emerges as the locality where the highest number of domestic violence cases (273) was reported, followed by Qormi (135) and Birzebbugia (118).

One in every 10 cases of domestic violence is reported in St Paul’s Bay.

When population size is taken into account the localities reporting the highest number of cases were Kirkop and Safi; 0.53 cases for every 100 inhabitants each year, followed by Qrendi (0.5), Birzebbugia (0.46), and Xghajra, Bormla and St Paul’s Bay (0.43).

Apart from Mdina, where only one case was reported in the past three years, in Malta the lowest per capita number of cases were recorded in Attard and Lija, where only 0.1 cases for every 100 inhabitants were recorded each year.

Statistics on domestic violence do not necessarily reveal the actual prevalence of the offence, but throw a light on how much it is reported. The statistics suggest that the least number of cases of domestic violence is reported in Gozo and in affluent localities. On the other hand the highest rate of domestic violence is reported in south eastern, southern and the northern conglomerate of St Paul’s Bay.