556 people ask for divorce, 270 for DNA tests

A total of 556 applications for divorce have been filed before the courts since October and 344 have been decided.

Winding up the debate on the Civil Code (Amendment) Bill, Justice Minister Chris Said also revealed that during the past five years, 270 paternity cases were presented to the courts.

The Bill was introduced last November by then Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and provides, among other things, that the courts can order DNA tests in paternity cases, whereas to date they could only recommend such tests.

The Bill also provides that, in court cases for alteration of official documents after gender re-assignment surgery, judges will no longer need to appoint a medical expert to confirm that the surgery has indeed taken place. A sworn medical report will be deemed sufficient to confirm this.

The Bill also gives children born out of wedlock the same succession rights as their siblings.

Widows have been given the right to retain their first husband’s surname on remarriage.

Dr Said said the opposition’s agreement on all amendments would lead to immediate enforcement, which was important considering the number of pending cases in the Family Court.

The amendments represent a change in the balance of interests, where the focus would now be on the child’s right to know exactly who their father was.

The Family Court was doing everything in its power to cut down on pending cases, he said.

In the past nine months,344 out of 556 divorce applications were decided.

Some 220 hours of mediation a week were being held.

Concluding, Dr Said an­nounced that following talks with the Malta Gay Rights Movement, further amendments to other pieces of legislation would improve the situation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.