Youngest domestic violence victim was 16-day-old baby

The youngest victim of domestic violence to have a report registered with the authorities about them was a 16-day-old baby, information tabled in parliament shows.

On the other hand, the oldest person to have filed a domestic violence report with the police was aged 93.

The information was tabled in parliament by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in reply to a question by Opposition MP Ivan Bartolo.

Earlier this month information published by the National Statistics Office showed 3,798 persons reported experiencing domestic violence or made use of services available for victims. Of these reports, 76% were filed by women.

The majority of people, 57.5%, used a service only once during 2024, while 21.4% used one or more services twice and 21.1% used them three times or more.

Among female victims, 44.9% used a service more than once, compared with 35% of males.

In 2024, 29.3% of the total cases registered across all services involved persons aged between 30 and 39 years old, while 24.7% involved persons aged 50 years old and over.

The majority, 83.4%, were cases involving Maltese nationals.

Malta is currently commemorating the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The campaign started on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Gender-based Violence and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.