135 domestic violence victims received free legal aid between April and October

Between April and October, 135 domestic violence victims were given free legal advice, part of a new initiative piloted by the Justice Ministry

7 October 2020, 10:45am
by Laura Calleja

1 min read

Victims of domestic violence can request free legal aid under a new initiative launched in April

135 domestic violence victims were given free legal advice between April and October, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said.

Back in April, the ministry announced that domestic violence victims could now request free legal advice, by calling a 24-hour number and be given an appointment with a lawyer.

If the lawyer believed that there were grounds for the victim to proceed with a court case against the accused, the victim would then receive free legal aid.

The information was given in parliament by Zammit Lewis, in response to a question by PN spokesperson Claudette Buttigieg on how many persons have used the service since it was announced.

Zammit Lewis said that since the service began on 26 April, three victims were assigned lawyers that month. The following month, 22 victims were assigned lawyers, and in June the figure spiked to 41 victims being assigned a lawyer.

In July, 32 domestic violence victims were provided legal assistance and in August 14 were provided assistance. In September, 18 victims received assistance and in the first two days of October, a further five victims were assigned legal aid.

Laura Calleja is features editor at MaltaToday