In Malta, "domestic violence" means: any act of violence, even if only verbal, perpetrated by a household member upon another household member and includes any omission which causes physical or moral harm to the other.
Legal provisions on protection orders
Criminal Code, Article 412c
Legal Source
Domestic Violence Act,Chapter 481
Observations
"Household member" includes: (i) persons married or formerly married to eachother; (ii) persons living in the same household as theoffender or who had lived with the offenderwithin a period of one year preceding theoffence; (iii) persons whose marriage has been dissolved ordeclared null; (iv) parents and their children; (v) other adults sharing the same household; (vi) persons who are, or have been, formally orinformally engaged with a view to get married; (vii) persons who are related to each other either byconsanguinity or affinity up to the third degreeinclusively; (viii) persons having or having had a child incommon; (ix) the child conceived but yet unborn of any one of the persons mentioned in paragraphs (i) to (viii).