Dalli: We must be 'bolder' in bringing about social change

While the United Nations has called on countries to be bold with regard to change in favour of gender equality, Malta must be bolder, social dialogue minister Helena Dalli has said.

Speaking at a press conference at the Manuccia Childcare Centre in Zejtun on the occasion of Women's Day, Dalli said that the introduction of the service had changed the country, allowing more families to live up to their potential.

"We were criticised for suggesting free childcare, even by those who favoured the concept. We were bold, and now we must be bolder," Dalli said.

She pointed to domestic violence laws which will soon be updated to bring Malta in line with the Istanbul Convention on domestic violence, as well as the imminent introduction of a cohabitation law.  

"The equality Bill is also going to affect a lot of men and women. Since women tend to be on the receiving end of discrimination more often, it will affect them the most," the minister said.

Dalli said that many other laws were anachronistic and needed updating, like those regulating income tax surnames.

Equality commissioner Rene Laiviera said that one of her roles was the advise the minister on how certain social issues are developing in society, with one issue being income tax.

"The way it works now is that the responsible spouse takes care of everything but everyone has a right to know what is going on in their name," she said.

Moreover, she said that it was time for the length of time that a power of attorney is valid for to be revised since there were many cases where individuals, especially women, had been exploited because of a power of attorney given to someone else in the past. She said that there should be a period of time after which it must be reviewed.

Silvan Agius, the director of the human rights directorate within the ministry, said that another issue that the government intends to push forward is that of men being able to take a woman's surname.

"In Malta there is no possibility for a man to take his wife's surname. It might sound frivolous to some but to others it is not," he said.

Agius explained that the fact that some things are automatic is itself discriminatory and that Malta should move towards having "family surnames" as is the case in many countries abroad.