In view of an upcoming 2022 national elections, we wish to put forward a number of
proposals that we feel will contribute to making Malta a fairer and more just society.
Our focus remains on supporting the most vulnerable members of our community
whilst also strengthening those institutions empowered and tasked to protect our
fundamental human rights.
We present these recommendations in light of the declaration in Article 1 of the
Constitution, that Malta “is a democratic republic founded on work and on respect for
the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual”. We therefore urge
Parliamentary candidates to be mindful that in a democracy the rule of law,
transparency and justice are the fulcrum on which a State rests. These are the guiding
principles that should be at the basis of the political commitments made throughout
the electoral campaign period.
aditus foundation wishes to see an inclusive electoral campaign based on democratic
ideas, vision and human dignity and less on antagonism, harassment and cronyism.
We hope all candidates will refrain from discourse and behaviour that is in any way
offensive, immature and unbecoming. In particular, we strongly appeal to all
candidates and to party leaders to ensure that their campaigns are entirely free from
racism, misogyny or other approaches that seek to score political points off the backs
of vulnerable or disenfranchised people.
The recommendations are an open invitation to all Parliamentary candidates to pledge
their commitment to specific ideas and initiatives. They also confirm our willingness to
engage in further discussion and dialogue on these and other human rights issues we
are tackling. Click here to read the full document.
Pledges
- Donations made to parties and to entities they own should be made subject to the
same public disclosure obligations. - Refrain from engaging in any activity that may be interpreted as an offer in
exchange of a personal vote. - Ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full and equal access to voting in a
manner that respects their dignity. - Records of complaints to and decisions of the Electoral Commission should be
promptly published. - Respect voter privacy and refrain from chasing.
- Commit to a thorough and inclusive Constitutional reform process.
- Establish and publish an action plan, with clear responsibilities and timelines, for
implementing the outstanding recommendations made by the Venice Commission,
the European Commission’s Rule of Law report and the Daphne Caruana Galizia
Inquiry Report. - Commit to table anti-discrimination legislation that protects all persons in all
spheres of life. - Confirm that no conscientious objection clause will be entered into Maltese law,
having the effect of depriving anyone of access to their fundamental human rights. - Broaden the scope of complaints of the Office of the Ombudsperson to remove the
interest requirement. Enshrine the Ombudsperson’s right to information in the
Constitution. Adopt the term ‘Ombudsperson’. - Pledge to move from a part-time to a full-time Parliament in the next legislature.
- Commit to establishing regular, transparent and real dialogue mechanisms with
civil society organisations. - Stand by the statement: “Libya is not a safe place for migrants and refugees.”
Commit to ensuring that persons in distress in Malta’s Search and Rescue Zone will
be swiftly rescued and allowed to disembark. - End the detention of children, in law and in practice.
- Introduce an initial reception regime that is based on individual assessments, with
community-based models preferred over administrative detention. - Grant NGO service-providers effective access to all detention centres.
- Formulate a long-term asylum management strategy in close cooperation with civil
society organisations. - Extend family reunification rights, under clear and fair conditions, to beneficiaries
of subsidiary protection. - Introduce a regularisation scheme for those migrants who have not been returned
to their countries of origin and who, whilst here, have effectively made Malta their
homes. - Establish a Statelessness Determination Procedure.
- Decriminalise the use of false documents in situations involved refugees
attempting to enter Malta to seek safety. - Revise the Maltese Citizenship Act with the aim of clarifying access to nationality
and introducing procedural guarantees. - Protect the status of non-Maltese children who have lived in Malt for all or most of
their lives. - Incorporate into law the right to residence and employment for third-country
national parents of children who are European Union nationals. - Implement a Justice Reform, along the recommendations of the 2013 Commission
for the Holistic Reform in the Field of Justice. Include in this Reform a review of the
mechanisms governing quasi-judicial bodies. - Statutory parental, and not merely maternal, leave after the child’s birth.
- Gender quota for political parties contesting the National elections.
- Introduce fiscal incentives for the employers to introduce flexible work
arrangements and work-life balance measures. - Address the gender imbalance in specific sectors, such as education and conduct
a thorough review of all text-books to combat stereotyping. - Decriminalise abortion and introduce abortion support services.
- Provide free contraception to all persons, particularly women and girls.
- Commit to introducing comprehensive sex education in schools.
- Remove discriminatory barriers preventing LGBTIQ+ persons from donating blood.
- Grant LGBTIQ+ refugees the possibility of reuniting with their long-term partners, in
Malta. - Implement guidelines enabling Identity Malta to reflect on official documentation
the affirmed gender identity of third-country nationals. - Actively support EU anti-SLAPP legislation efforts.
- Ratify the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Also, the
individual complaints procedure under the anti-racism Convention and the
Additional Protocol to the European Social Charter.
