Current data on domestic violence ‘too generic’ to provide detailed picture

The Commission on Domestic Violence is seeking to gain a better picture on domestic violence in Malta by enhancing data collected.

Data pertaining to cases of domestic violence is currently collected through the Police Force, Agenzija Appogg, the health department and NGOs. The courts are also expected to start contributing to this data – an important step that would strengthen the base of information gathered.

Commissioner for Domestic Violence Joe Gerada said that detailed statistics – as opposed to “generic ones” – provide more insight into the causes and effects of domestic violence.

“Where is domestic violence most prevalent? What’s the social, economic and educational background of those involved? Is age a factor? The stronger the data collected is, the better we can form policies, legislation and services,” Gerada said.

A delegation from the European Institute for Gender Equality was invited to Malta for a meeting with the Commission, representatives of the Malta Police Force, the Justice Department, Agenzija Appogg and the National Statistics Office in order to see how Malta’s data collection can be improved.

A better data collection system, and the type of information retrieved, can provide a better picture of the prevalence of domestic violence in Malta and Gozo.

The current statistics show that the majority of victims of domestic violence are women. The victims do not come forward immediately and, when they do, they find that services available may not be as integrated as they should.

Gerada explained that even the court’s contribution to the data collection can provide an insight into what needs to improve: “What happens to the victim and the perpetrator during the duration of the court case? How many seek mediation? What are the court sentences saying? How many sentences are appealed? Currently we only have bits and pieces of this information.”

The Commission for Domestic Violence is also in the process of setting up a subcommittee specifically for research, bringing together the entities and experts involved in data gathering.

The latest data presented in parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela shows that the number of reports filed with the police between 2013 and 2016 increased every year, for both women and men. 3,565 reports were filed by women over the last three years, while 1,083 reports were made by men during the same period.

There is a vacuum however when it comes to retrieving information from the courts: unless a case is specifically registered as domestic violence, data collectors have no way of knowing how many cases of domestic violence are actually heard. For example, if cases are listed as ‘grievous bodily harm’ the data collector won’t know that it was a case of domestic violence.

The justice department is currently in the process of developing a new system for data collection, including the inputting of electronic information.

A representative of the justice department said that data collection of cases before the Criminal Court is “a nightmare”, because it’s a paper-based system. A new system, which identifies cases according to the Articles in the law, is currently being rolled out for easier access.

According to representatives of the Police Force, a second hindrance to a complete data is the lack of linkage between the issuance of protection orders and the police database. Representatives said that one way of improving police data is by actually adding the number of protection orders issued to the database held by the Police Force.

The Police also suggested including a field that would automatically link the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator. This is currently done manually, although the police would need to ascertain beyond any doubt the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator.

At the same time, the Police Force’s statistical office also lacks the manpower to gather detailed information – although talks are underway to try and solve this issue too.

The police also argued that, because it’s not specifically identified by law, data on economic violence is not collected.