590 babies have been born thanks to IVF treatment since 2013, the prime minister said on Wednesday.

He mentioned amendments to the IVF law among measures taken by the government to benefit women as he welcomed the new executive committee of the National Council of Women at the Auberge de Castille.

Robert Abela said that while a series of reforms had been made in the past few years, more work was needed given the new realities facing women. 

He said that women's participation in the labour force had been improved thanks to the introduction of free childcare.

He said more women could become mothers thanks to the IVF reforms, and more women could become MPs thanks to electoral law reforms before the last general election.   

The prime minister also pointed to reforms and measures taken to counter domestic violence, including the introduction of femicide in the criminal code, but said even more work was needed to prevent domestic violence in the first place.

New regulations governing temping agencies and the setting up of helplines also served to deter human trafficking, he said, even though this was considered low.

The delegation from the Council of Women was led by its president, Rebecca Berry Wellman.