If Malta wants to reach its 2020 target for HIV status awareness, free self-testing is an important first step, the National Youth Council said on Monday.

It pointed out that a quarter of the Maltese population with HIV is currently unaware that they are carrying such virus, with the target being 90%.

The council stressed the importance of effective and equal access to all health services as the next step, noting that three of every four HIV cases in 2016 were from migrants.

“Moreover, efforts should be made to improve condom and other contraceptive distribution among frequently accessed places by youths,” it said.

The suggestions were included in the report submitted by the National Youth Council in collaboration with the European Youth Forum as part of the Universal Periodic Review held by the UN's Human Rights Council on Malta.

The National Youth Council, along with the European Youth Forum, put forward recommendations on three topics: sexual health, mental health and accessibility to rights.

The Universal Periodic Review is a a process which involves the periodic review of the human rights records of the United Nations' member states.

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