Sarah Carabott
Minister, gay movement to meet over hate crime
Talks follow attack on two girls
The Justice Minister will this week meet Malta Gay Rights Movement members to discuss the inclusion of gay hate crime in Maltese law.
The social network community has been calling for more extensive legislation which includes hate crime on the basis of sexual orientation.
The pressure grew after The Sunday Times reported last week that two girls were attacked by two teenage boys because of their sexual orientation.
On Thursday, nine organisations and NGOs, in collaboration with the Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), presented proposals for more inclusive legislation.
When contacted, a Justice Ministry spokesman said the legislation being demanded forms part of Bill 97/2010 called ‘An Act to amend various laws relating to criminal matters’.
The House Business Committee has yet to decide when to bring it up for the second reading. But although the organisations are calling for amendments to some five articles of the law (and the Press Act), the Bill is proposing amendments to two.
The ministry spokesman directed the newspaper to two proposed amendments, which include adding ‘homophobia’ to ‘xenophobia’ as motivation for an offence.
The proposals presented by the organisations are more comprehensive and include the ‘Condoning, denying or trivialising crimes against peace against a group’ section.
A ministry spokesperson said Justice Minister Chris Said will this week meet members of the Malta Gay Rights Movement to discuss various issues, including legislation of hate crime on the basis of sexual orientation.
Currently, the only legal protection gay people have refers to discrimination in terms of harassment. The part of the law that speaks about hate crime is limited to racial hatred.
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Mr Patrick Attard
Jan 30th, 13:23
Transphobia should also be included in article 82A together with homophobia.
Trans-gendered persons are very vulnerable too, probably more vulnerable.
Mario Pace
Jan 29th, 21:03
"You can't compare prostitutes with gays."
Why not? Both are stigmatized because of their sexual behaviour. If one hates a man and wants to insult him he would call him "pufta" even if he isn't and if one hates a woman he would call her "qahba" even if she isn't. Prostitutes on the other hand are more likely to suffer physical violance than gays and are less likely to report it.
Mario Pace
Jan 29th, 14:44
This is discrimination, pure and simple. Prostitutes are more vulnerable and more likely to suffer hate crimes (violence and insults). Homosexuals should wait in the queue after prostitutes and the Minister should explain why according to him it is fair game to insult and beat up a prostitute because of her sexual behaviour but it is a hate crime in case of gays. Prostitutes are not hated less than gays and suffer more physical violance.
P Bonnici
Jan 29th, 16:07
You can't compare prostitutes with gays.
Prostitutes are normally accompanied by criminal thugs -pimps for protection and provocation of aggression. If there is violence towards a prostitute, it maybe because she did not perform or overcharge. There is normally a (business) transaction between an aggressor and a prostitute.
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Jan 29th, 22:32
If there are hate crimes against prostitutes in Malta, then the legislation should be equally amended to protect them. No citizen in an allegedly civilised and democratic country should be required to wait in a queue. Your statement demonstrates beyond any shadow of doubt that you have little if any credentials in the areas of civilisation and democracy. Stop giving Malta a bad name by potting such neanderthal views in print.