An Interactive Timeline Of Malta’s Road To Civil Liberties
It’s already been a week since the historic bill legalising same-sex marriage. There’s no disputing the massive changes that have taken place in Maltese society over the past few years, but how did things look over half a century ago?
Explore our interactive timeline detailing the advances made in Malta’s laws regarding civil liberties.
1. Universal Suffrage (1947)
Women are allowed to vote in national elections for the first time.
2. Capital Punishment is abolished (1971)
Although abolished fully in 1971, it wasn’t until March 2000 that the military also removed its provisions for capital punishment.
3. Civil Marriages introduced (1975)
The law also saw homosexuality decriminalised.
4. Divorce is legalised (2011)
Despite fierce opposition, divorce became legal in October 2011.
5. Same-Sex Unions are recognised (2014)
It also included the right to adopt.
6. The Gender Identity act passes (2015)
This allowed people to change the gender marker on their official documents.
7. Emergency Contraceptive is sold over-the-counter (2016)
The medicines authority finally decided the ‘morning after pill’ should be available over the counter.
8. Same-Sex Marriage is legal (2017)
The marriage equality bill, which is most known for legalising marriage between same-sex couples, passes almost completely unanimously.