Silence is the greatest challenge to overcome, minister says at Victim Support Agency conference

Raising awareness about available support services leads to more individuals seeking help, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said as he spoke during the annual Victim Support Agency conference.

Camilleri said that silence is the greatest challenge that must be overcome, and he urged crime victims to step forward and seek help as many others have done and in turn improved their lives through professional and police support.

The Home Affairs Minister said that while the government must continually evaluate and enhance the systems, "addressing domestic violence requires unity, transcending partisan politics". He commented that it is not about numbers, but rather about people. He said that the next steps include the introduction of panic alarms and electric monitoring, with panic alarms for domestic violence victims set to be formally launched in the next couple weeks. He added that the next Parliamentary Stage for the introduction of electronic tagging will commence during the next few days. These initiatives aim to protect high-risk individuals by enabling rapid responses and increased safety, he added.

He remarked that the vital issue of crime victims and their needs is "a topic connected to our shared humanity", and commented that there are individuals who are suffering behind closed doors whose voices must be heard and provided the assistance that they need.

Camilleri spoke of how the Home Affairs Ministry experienced a "paradigm shift" three years ago, with a shift in focus from solely focusing on perpetrators and their rehabilitation, which he said is still important, to focusing more on victims of crime and the assistance provided to them.

He said that the Victim Support Agency was set up and has evolved over the past three years, with the adoption of a preventive, responsive, and supportive approach.

Having said that, Camilleri added that the government is developing a National Victim Support Strategy in collaboration with Victim Support Europe. He added that this initiative will include public consultation, and said that this strategy aims to align Malta's efforts with European-wide initiatives to strengthen victim support services.

The Minister said that Malta is making significant strides in supporting victims, "particularly of domestic violence, through specialized services like the Gender-Based and Domestic Violence Unit in Santa Lucija, as well as an upcoming domestic violence hub in Mtarfa."

He stated that the first Santa Lucija hub opened its doors last February, and that over 1,500 individuals have benefited from services provided by the hub.

Referring to a recently published EU Gender-Based Violence Survey, Camilleri said that 1 in 3 women in the European Union have experienced violence, but only 1 in 4 report it. He said that this demonstrates the need for stronger support systems, including free victim support services such as Malta's National Victim Support Line, which offers 24/7 assistance.

The Home Affairs Minister remarked that those same EU statistics show that Maltese women report incidents of violence at nearly double the EU average, and commented that this progress is attributed to increased trust in support services and public awareness campaigns, but added that the multi-agency approaches must continue being refined in order to provide comprehensive and effective assistance to victims.

Camilleri concluded that "victims of crime should never feel invisible", and added that European citizens bear a shared responsibility to ensure that "victims receive the justice, protection, and compassion they deserve".