Malta's first sexual assault crisis centre set up at Mater Dei

A doctor, a nurse, a social worker, a psychologist and a police officer will be the team behind the sexual assault response team (S.A.R.T.) set up at Mater Dei Hospital.

Set up as a joint initiative between the Health, Social Solidarity and Home Affairs ministries in collaboration with Victim Support, S.A.R.T. will operate round the clock, 7 days a week.

On average, 20 rape cases are reported every year. Last year, 11 cases of sexual assault were reported. These figures, as professionals themselves confirm, in no way give a real picture on the real number of cases of assault. They are just the tip of the iceberg.

A study conducted in 2011 by the Gender Issues Committee (GIC) of the University of Malta among 116 students found that 15 of the respondents had suffered sexual violence at one stage or another of their life.

In an effort to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, the government on Wednesday will table in parliament the first reading of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in national laws.

The Istanbul Convention highlights the fact that rape is not only about stranger assault, but also about intimate partners and other people known to the victim.

Addressing the media, Social Solidarity Minister Marie Louise Coleiro Preca explained how a victim - of any sort of sexual assault - could now start receiving a holistic care without being pushed from one place to another. A victim who approaches the police, their general practitioner, Appogg or calls 179 will all be guided to S.A.R.T.

"Many a times, victims of sexual assault do not receive a holistic care or the aid could be fragmented. This unit will ensure that a victim who comes forward receives the necessary medical and psychological care as well as support and empowerment in an environment where they can feel comfortable and safe," Coleiro Preca said.

In 2009, a task force was set up to coordinate the setting up of a sexual assault response team which would operate from Mater Dei Hospital. A report was prepared within a year, but shelved. The first time that funds were allocated for this team was in Budget 2014.

A first public social partnership initiative in this sector, the unit will be led by Victim Support while the government will be providing the necessary funds - this year €40,000 - for the running of the unit. Victim Support will also be responsible of the training of the professionals.

The goal of the unit is to help those victims who suffer in silence and who fear to speak out. To avoid having a victim recount the attack over and over again, the professionals will work together. No victim will be forced to recount the case to the police. However, forensic evidence would still be collected and recorded and stored in the eventuality that the victim chooses to report the case.

Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said S.A.R.T. formed part of the recently-launched sexual health strategy. The minister said it was a person's right to express his or her sexuality free of abuse.

"The setting up of this unit is social justice in the making. Victims will no longer receive fragmented care. As a doctor, I know that victims suffer from anger and hurt, lack of self-confidence and a sense of guilt. This unit will provide the necessary care and support, all the way through," Farrugia said.

The support to the victim would continue during the court case as well.

Coleiro Preca admitted to feeling "ashamed" that S.A.R.T. will only be available in Malta so far.

"We are working on improving services in Gozo," she said, adding that last year the government helped the Church in opening Dar Emmaus, a shelter for victims of domestic violence.