The effects of the current global pandemic have by now strayed far from the medical front. We have had to change the way our communities work and interact with each other, and our personal lives have been changed in multiple ways.
We are effectively living through a once-in-a-lifetime event that has already shaken our notions of how society should be.
While it is true that this pandemic has given rise to new injustices and inequalities, I am convinced that it has also highlighted those which had already been plaguing our society for decades, if not centuries.
The hardships faced by women as they seek to balance their professional and private lives, for instance, have increased. The difficulties faced by persons with disability in their daily lives have also worsened. Our brothers and sisters seeking asylum from devastating wars and persecution have found their journeys to be even more perilous. Our elderly, already tormented by loneliness and vulnerability, have had to face months of separation and anxiety.
Equality is a core principle of our society but it is not yet a reality- Rosianne Cutajar
We are clearly at a watershed moment for our society, and what we do now will impact entire generations to come. Will we stick to the systems we know and look the other way? Or will we seize this moment to make sure we leave no one behind?
I am proud to form part of an administration that has chosen the latter path. We cannot – and will not – ignore the realities so many victims of discrimination and prejudice face in our country every single day.
Equality is a core principle of our society, but it is not yet a reality. The Equality Bill, and the Human Rights and Equality Bill, which are currently before parliament, seek to change this status quo.
The two legislative proposals go far beyond the strengthening of the legal framework of equality and non-discrimination. If enacted, they will mean substantive, practical equality in our day-to-day lives.
We have listened to the struggles currently faced by so many among us.
By the jobseekers, denied access to employment due to their faith or political opinion.
By the workers who are denied equal pay, because of the colour of their skin or their age. By those who have faced discrimination by legal provisions and policies because of their sex or marital status.
By the workers who face sexual harassment in their place of work and then lose out on career opportunities if they dare report the crime.
By those who have been denied a service because of their gender identity or disability.
We have listened, and now, we are acting. These bills are not meant to remain words on paper: they are to be enforced and taught.
Neither are they the final step in equality: on the other hand, they are simply the backbone of many actions to come, which, when combined, will truly make sure no one is left behind.
It is truly an honour for me to be championing these bills, initiated and passed down to me by the then Equality Minister, today European Commissioner, Helena Dalli, and entrusted to me by Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis.
The completion of the discussions at the Committee for the Consideration of Bills in September will bring us closer to their enactment and to their application.
This is what it means to have a government that sees an opportunity to improve society and seizes it.
Rosianne Cutajar Parliamentary Secretary for Equality.