Labour calls for improving domestic violence law
Labour said it cannot remain passive on the the growing cases of domestic violence especially in the light of the figures which Agenzija Appogg published in the last weeks.
Labour spokesperson for Family and Equal Rights Justyne Caruana proposed that the Domestic Violence Act, which is already bearing fruit, is improved.
“There is a lot more that can be done especially with regards to the protection of the victim and eviction orders of perpetrators. It is time to take stock of the results obtained by the law and see how we can make it more effective to protect the victims and study the cases so that all loopholes in the laws are addressed,” said Dr Carauna.
Labour spokesperson for Family and Equal Rights Justyne Caruana proposed that the Domestic Violence Act, which is already bearing fruit, is improved.
“There is a lot more that can be done especially with regards to the protection of the victim and eviction orders of perpetrators. It is time to take stock of the results obtained by the law and see how we can make it more effective to protect the victims and study the cases so that all loopholes in the laws are addressed,” said Dr Carauna.
She said that the services offered to victims should be more victim oriented. Justyne Caruana said that the police stations are not equipped to offer professional services to victims of domestic violence and that police officers should be trained to improve their approach.
“There is also need for more shelters, in particular in Gozo were government does not offer any such service and Agenzija Appogg does not operate in Gozo. There is only a department for the ‘Protection of Families’ which has very limited resources,” said the Labour MP.
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2008 - Justyne Caruana
