The Maltese Government is proposing that prostitution will be decriminalized according to an official document which was launched today for public consultation.
Parliamentary Secretary for Reform Julia Farrugia Portelli launched a public consultation process and explained that this is part of a reform to address human trafficking and prostitution. She explained that the move was part of the election promise that the Labour Party made in early 2017 election manifesto.
The public consultation will lead to the drafting of the national strategy against human trafficking, as well as making the necessary legal reforms on prostitution.
In the consultation document, the Maltese Government argued that the strategy is aimed to develop the services and other initiatives to be implemented and supported by appropriate measures; thus increasing the protection to victims of human trafficking and at the same time addressing this problem effectively.
The Maltese Government has identified nine legal and political areas in drafting the national strategy: more understanding and strengthening the prevention of human trafficking, setting up an official mechanism for reference, strengthening protection mechanisms, more resources for investigations, improve the laws on human trafficking as well as broader legal aid access and compensation. The document is also proposing adequate regulations to the gentlemen’s clubs and massage parlors.
The public consultation period will end on 31st October. According to The Trafficking in Persons report by the United States Department published last June, Malta does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.
(ITALPRESS/MNA)
