On December 10, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, my ministry issued a statement saying the first reading of the Bill on equality and the Bill on the setting up of a human rights and equality commission will be presented to Parliament. Once enacted, these Bills will further entrench the principle of equality in Malta, binding the State, emp-loyers and service providers with an obligation to respect equality for all, regardless of the individuals’ personal characteristics.
A Talking Point entitled ‘Well ahead, and so behind’ ended as follows: “Let us not be hypocritical and abandon those who need the same help the LGBT community needs. Equality for all is the best way forward.”
Indeed, it is.
Previous Nationalist governments promised on a number of occasions to enact such equality laws. The then minister responsible for equality made promises for the widening of the scope of the Equality for Men and Women Act on a number of occasions at the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality’s annual conference, but victims of discrimination remained without an adequate redress mechanism, because that law is patchy in terms of the protection afforded.
Few would question the progress in the fields of LGBTIQ and disability equality
What’s more, for many years, former ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino proposed to various Nationalist ministers the setting up of a human rights and equality commission in line with the Paris Principles, independent from the government. But to no avail. He knocked on many doors, but no one accepted the proposal for a totally independent human rights and equality commission.
Fast forward a few years and the current administration continues to deliver on its promises in line with the electoral manifesto, including in the field of human rights and equality. Few would question the progress in the fields of LGBTIQ and disability equality, to mention just two policy areas.
Along with this, we are advancing legislation to provide dignity to cohabiting couples and a Bill to address gender-based violence through unprecedented measures. The last in this chain of legislation are the Equality Bill and the Bill for the setting up of a human rights and equality commission.
In the Talking Point mentioned earlier, the author also said he is unimpressed by our latest legislation banning conversion practices. The international press, ranging from The New York Times to The Guardian to the BBC to any other reputable newspaper, commended Malta for being the first country in Europe to ban the practice.
I’d hate to think what the gentleman would have said about us had we remained passive in these areas of policy, as our predecessors did.
Gladly, many are understanding our goals and are, once again, trusting us to push ahead with this much-needed reform to ensure that all are equal before the law and all are protected against discrimination.
Helena Dalli is Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties.