VALLETTA, Malta – A study of discrimination in Malta has revealed widespread ignorance of anti- discrimination agencies and legislation and significant victim discomfort in reporting incidences of discrimination.
The Times of Malta reported that the survey tackled discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and described several forms of discrimination.
Sixty percent of respondents said they experienced discrimination at the workplace due to their sexual orientation, while more than half had faced homophobic bullying at school.
Legislative protection for LGBT individuals is still conspicuous by its absence within Maltese law, and while almost two-thirds knew the law protected them from discrimination at the workplace, less than half were aware that this protection did not extend to other areas.
The blanket ban on gay men donating blood was the most frequently mentioned form of discrimination.
Although more than half the respondents were aware of the existence of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE), there was confusion as to what its function was.
Lead researcher Gabi Calleja quoted several respondents’ examples of LGBT discrimination. In one incident, a gay couple was made to leave a restaurant because of jeers from other patrons. In another, a gay man complained because hospital authorities would not acknowledge his long-term partner as his next-of-kin.
The study called for the government to replace existing equality legislation with a broader equality act that would equalize levels of protection offered to different groups of people, including LGBT people. It also suggested transforming the NCPE into a broader equality body.
