When he delivered his New Year’s Day message, Prime Minister Robert Abela made a commitment to safeguard and strengthen women’s rights in 2023.

He said that, despite their increased representation in parliament and ever-increasing presence in the workforce, many women still suffer in silence, simply because they are women. He pledged that those rights would not just be written down on paper but he promised the will and resources to uphold them.

The prime minister has his work cut out for him. The reality is that women’s rights span across so many areas and realities, including some that are not so apparent.

The obvious women’s rights issues include the protection of women against gender-based and domestic violence, given that women are considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of abuse, including sexual violence and harassment. Only on Friday the court sentenced a young man to prison after it heard a horrific tale of sexual violence and psychological manipulation against three women in the same family.

The three femicides of 2022 show that more resources are needed to protect victims of domestic violence. The police unit that deals with these cases needs to be beefed up with more trained officers.

The domestic violence hubs that were promised in 2019 remain a concept. Court delays remain chronic and urgently need to be addressed. Abela has pledged to do so by appointing another magistrate to deal with the backlog, which results in victims’ cases being assigned a year after the abuse is reported. 

Then, of course, there are the economic issues. In general, women are paid less than their male counterparts yet most retain the major caring role at home. Data shows that 81 per cent of women in Malta are still responsible for doing household chores every day, compared to 37 per cent of men. For every €100 a Maltese man earns, a woman earns €90.

Then come issues tied to the woman’s biology. From period poverty to motherhood, they need flexible hours from employers who are too often inflexible. Mothers who work nights and shifts are faced by the lack of childcare facilities. Women often come up against more difficulties than men when applying for a business loan.

A lot of these issues have been listed in the Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Strategy Action Plan launched late last year. This is a positive step. But will it remain wishful thinking? Let’s just hope that the fine words will be translated into concrete action.

If the prime minister is as committed to strengthening women’s rights as he says he is, the government must involve women’s rights organisations.

If the prime minister is as committed to strengthening women’s rights as he says he is, the government must involve women’s rights organisations

Apart from the big issues listed above, many subtle ones are holding women back, layers that are less obvious but equally real, and which impact the more vulnerable among women.

Just two shocking examples made news over the past months: women being forced by law to register their children under the name of their abusive ex-husbands despite knowing he is not the father; and women who are afraid to trade guaranteed social benefits for unguaranteed wages due to their commitments with their children.

There must be a commitment to invest in resources and to appoint the right experts, people who know and care enough to push for change rather than merely compile reports. And of course, the investment should also focus on education – to wipe out the misogynist mentality that fuels the inequality that breaches women’s rights. It might take years to change mentalities, but it is an investment well worth making.