‘I was always scared of anyone behind me’ - victim of domestic violence

‘Make sure you close that window well,’ one text message read as Maya* closed the window of the shelter she was residing in.

Despite living in a domestic violence shelter away from her aggressor, Maya still received such threatening messages. The idea that abuse ends once a woman enters a domestic violence shelter is far from reality.

Her abuser, an uncle who she lived with as a minor, used to abuse her physically and began to stalk her as she grew older. He not only asked other family members to stalk her but also unknown individuals.

“As I walked down the street, I was always aware of the people around me and scared of anyone who would walk behind me. I began to feel like I could not trust anyone and began to not leave my house.”

A report of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) shows 20 reports of stalking in Malta in 2018; however, professionals argue that many other cases go unreported.

Maria Mangion, family services manager at Fondazzjoni Sebħ said that stalking is a behaviour which truly affects the victim, even after they have approached the shelter for help.

“There is this misconception that a...