There appears to be a contradiction in the government’s policy on women’s role in society and gender equality.

Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli has been consistent and persistent in her efforts to achieve full gender equality in Malta. There are clear signs of progress in this field, not least the 3.3 per cent increase in the female employment rate over the past year, bringing the total activity rate to 51 per cent. The free childcare service was an effective tool in seeing more women enter, or re-enter, the working world.

There have been other measures to improve women’s lot at the workplace, the most recent being the introduction of the maternity leave fund. Naturally, there is still some way to go to address discrimination and inequalities in the labour market, most especially in areas like the gender pay gap.

Dr Dalli has also been active in improving the lot of women outside the working world, with the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. At the end of the day, to achieve true equality for women, this country needs to ensure they receive the dignity and respect they deserve at work, at home and in society.

When Dr Dalli’s Cabinet colleague, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, announced a series of reforms affecting morality and censorship, initially there was a welcoming response. He said the government did not believe it should act as a moral custodian, that adults should to be treated as adults and that the reforms would incentivise freedom of artistic expression.

Lifting censorship on art with the necessary safeguards is something long overdue and should be lauded. The problem is that Dr Bonnici’s reforms do not stop there.

The recently published Bill 113 decriminalises pornography. In addition to sex shops, the Bill provides for the licensing of adult TV channels on broadcasting platforms by the Broadcasting Authority as well as the unhindered reception of foreign-licensed pornographic channels.

No matter what arguments are put forward on people’s right to choose for themselves without the need for a nanny State, critics will argue that despite the talk of being the most ‘feminist government’ ever, it actually plans to legalise what debases women most and reduces them to mere objects.

Writing in this newspaper, the dean of the Faculty of Laws at the University, Kevin Aquilina, described the amendments as a direct affront to the dignity of women in particular, and to women’s rights in general.

In the hierarchy of values in the Bill, women’s rights came second after that of a thriving economy and artistic expression, he said.

The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations was just as critical, describing the amendments as a huge step backwards that worked directly against gender equality.

Pornography, like prostitution, was another form of violence against women, the confederation said. And warning on the wider effects of pornography on society, it said that it negatively influences the attitudes and behaviour in relationships, especially among young people.

There is no denying that pornography is widely available on the internet and that it attracts huge audiences. Very few people would argue that consumers should face action for viewing it. However, the fact remains that the changes to the law fly in the face of everything that has been said about gender equality and the dignity of women.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.