Worrying that Police Commissioner labels women ‘challenging’ – PL

Labour MP Helena Dalli has reacted to statements by Police Commissioner John Rizzo that appeared in an interview published in the Malta  Independent on Sunday,in which Rizzo said women often create administrative challenges due to requiring replacement during maternity leave periods.

Rizzo was referring to how the Police corps has now grown to 1920 officers, one in 50 of which is female.

“The fact that a high-ranking public official makes this sort of declaration is not sending out a positive message that serves to attract more women to join the police force,” Dalli said.

She said Rizzo was correct in saying that there are certain sectors of the police corps in which women give better results than men. “It would be preferable if the important and indispensable contributions to society women make by having children was recognised,” Dalli added, “and not describe maternity leave as a burden, but as a necessity.”

This is necessary, Dalli said, if “we are to have more women who continue working and more women opting to have children.” In the same statement, Dalli pointed out that among the 27 EU member states; Malta has the lowest rate of female workforce participation.

While the average EU rate of inactivity among women aged 25 and 54 stood at 22.1%, Malta’s own rate was substantially higher, standing at 51.1% - “once more the highest negative rate among all EU countries,” Dalli said.

She added that Malta also registered the lowest rate of women between 15 and 64 who are employed. Dalli pointed out how, for the past years since Malta’s accession in 2004, the EU has been pressuring government to introduce measures that assist both parents to keep working despite having children.

She said that despite how the government has been emphasising the need to ensure that female graduates join the workforce in the interest of national growth and productivity, “little was seen so far by way of facts.”