The government has boundless enthusiasm for LGBTIQ issues, but other issues such as the environment and good governance have been brushed aside, according to the author of an annual human rights report.
“The adoption of the Gender Identity Act is considered to be the most significant human rights development of last year.
“However, issues raised in 2014 such as the failure to handle the environment as a national human rights issue, the lack of work on a national migrant integration policy and the government’s silence on growing racial hatred remain unaddressed,” Neil Falzon told Times of Malta ahead of the launch of the Platform of Human Rights Organisations in Malta (Phrom) second annual human rights report.
The report collects the views of some 30 NGOs on human rights developments and shortcomings in Malta throughout 2015.
The 2014 report - titled 'Looking Beyond the Rainbow' - expressed frustration that while LGBTIQ rights were given primary and unprecedented attention by the government, other human rights remained in the shadows.
This year's report, 'Greener and Cleaner', hails the creation of the Front Ħarsien ODZ as a positive development, as it showed that people have started to understand that a cleaner environment is not simply a luxury, but a right to which they are entitled. Unfortunately, the environment was not given attention by the State, Dr Falzon said.
Meanwhile, the report also shows that 11 of the 26 NGOs and their clients were victims of expressions of hatred throughout 2015. Though there were no incidents of physical violence, this created an environment of fear and intimidation, with one NGO resorting to keeping a low profile for some weeks, refraining from issuing press releases or opening its office doors.
The failure to handle the environment as a national human rights issue, the lack of work on a migrant integration policy and the government’s silence on growing racial hatred remain unaddressed
The threats were mainly received through social media, and most of the victims worked with migrants, refugees, the LGBTIQ community and inmates.
This high number was very worrying, as it created an unsafe environment for organisations working for the betterment of society, Dr Falzon noted, calling for better enforcement of hate speech laws.
Another concern that carried on from 2014 is the gap in human rights education, with NGOs pointing out the “strikingly low level” of critical thinking and rights-based discourse.
This was linked to the dogmatic education system, which fails to encourage or coax students into independent thinking and sharing their thoughts without fear of repercussions.
This was associated with civic apathy when faced with issues of national importance such as the environment, racism and gender discrimination.
The right to good governance also ranked remarkably low in the Malta of 2015.
The annual report, which is funded by the Malta Community Chest Fund and was drawn up before the recent Panama Papers controversy, urges a “cleaner” and more transparent public administration, in the face of a lack of good governance across many public sector areas.
This includes clients of NGOs who try to access information about their cases, appointments to public positions without the person having the necessary qualifications or specialisation, and the refusal to divulge information about policy-making.
| Recommendations | When | Status |
| • Mainstream education to improve knowledge of and accessibility to human rights; | 2014 | No action |
| • More active awareness of Gozo-specific issues, communities and organisations; | 2014 | In process |
| • Endorse understanding that environment is a human right and requires protection; | 2014 | No action |
| • Adopt national migrant and refugee integration policy; | 2015 | In process |
| • Better access to information for deaf people through recognition of Maltese sign language and TV subtitles; | 2014 | In process |
| • Combat hate speech through public endorsement of human rights NGOs, condemnation and social media campaigns. | 2015 | No action |
Spotlight on North Korean forced labour
The European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea said that the working conditions of forced North Korean labourers overseas broadly resembled those inside North Korea, lacking rights and evidence of workplace brutality, isolation from the outside world and ideological indoctrination.
The alliance, which said that Malta accepted workers from the Fisheries Ministry, insisted in a report that the exportation of human labour from North Korean violated UN sanctions.
It told Phrom that it has not yet received a reply from the Maltese government about its report.
In March, the Times of Malta reported that the number of North Korean workers in Malta has more than tripled since 2013, with the majority working for Leisure Clothing, according to figures provided by the Employment and Training Corporation.
