Malta To Explore Making Female Sterilisation Free And Will Criminalise Virginity Testing
Women in Malta could soon be able to get sterilised free of charge, even if not medically required, while the act of virginity testing will be criminalised.
These proposals featured in a five-year government strategy to mainstream gender equality that was launched by Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg this morning.
“This strategy and action plan recognises that while significant progress has been made, our goal of ensuring the advancement and empowerment of women and men equally remains distant,” Buttigieg said.
“We are committed to doing better. The Strategy maps out our admittedly ambitious vision – that of creating an equal society where discrimination and structural inequality are inexistent.”
“We are striving for a society where everyone can reach their full potential, men and women, boys and girls, in all their diversity.”
The strategy includes a number of proposals from the PL’s 2022 manifesto, including the provision of free menstruation products at schools and free emergency contraception at Mater Dei and primary health care centre for rape victims.
Although Health Minister Chris Fearne pledged yesterday that free contraception will be offered to the general public next year, the document only states that this possibility will be explored.
The sexual health policy, which hasn’t been amended since 2010 despite several government promises, is also in line for an update “to reflect the needs of society”.
The government has also pledged a gender quota system within the public sector to ensure that women make up 40% of all appointments to official bodies within the next three years.
Other promises include extending free childcare to employees who work in the evening, on weekends and on a shift basis, ensuring gender-balanced panels at national conferences, reviewing sex education curricula at schools, tackling gender gaps in pensions, and coming up with initiatives for women to take up STEM-related careers.
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