The government has issued a White paper on the setting up of a Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli said the White Paper proposed a legal framework that aimed to address gaps to ensure Malta had an internationally accredited Human Rights and Equality Commission.

She said the government believed that the current legislative and infrastructural frameworks needed to be reinforced as they fell short of providing Malta with the mechanism for human rights and equality that it deserved.

The first consultation process, which led to this White Paper, started in February. Now this document is available for consultation, which will end in February. Once this is closed, the government will taking into consideration the feedback received and start drafting the law.

Ms Dalli said the most important element was that the commission would be answerable only to Parliament. This was an important step forward in human rights for Malta, she said.

The commission will replace the National Council for the Promotion of Equality and will have a wider remit. It’s role will be twofold – to  handle and investigate complaints while also drafting reports for the government and monitoring the human rights situation in Malta.

http://socialdialogue.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/MSDC/Pages/Consultations/HumanRights.aspx