A White Paper on an Equality Act and a commission for human rights and equality has been released for public consultation.
The document proposes a legal framework that aims to address identified gaps to ensure Malta has an internationally-accredited Human Rights and Equality Commission that meets the obligations of both human rights laid out in the Paris Principles and subsequent documents and also EU equality legislation.
Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli said human rights and equality were high priorities for the government, which had worked hard to make changes.
The new commission, replacing the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, will be given a wider remit. It will have the power to investigate cases and provide binding opinions while monitoring the implementation of human rights provisions in Maltese and international law together with issuing opinions and proposing legislative changes.
The White Paper also proposes recasting the Equality for Men and Women Act to an Equality Act, which will provide a general principle of anti-discrimination in all spheres of life.
The document, which is open for feedback until February, is the result of a consultation process that started earlier this year.
“One of the most important things about this document is that it is based on the Paris Principles; the commission will be autonomous from the government and answerable only to Parliament,” Dr Dalli said in a press conference yesterday.
The Paris Principles relate to the status and functioning of national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights, listing the responsibilities.
She said the government believed that the legislative and infrastructural frameworks in place needed to be reinforced because they fell short of providing Malta with the mechanism for human rights and equality it deserved.
The first stage of the consultation process started earlier this year, which led to the drafting of the White Paper. Once the second phase is over, the government will evaluate the feedback received and start drafting the law.
The White Paper is available at http://socialdialogue.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/MSDC/Pages/Consultations/HumanRights.aspx .