A pregnant victim of domestic abuse has been banned from travelling after her estranged partner claimed she plans to carry out an abortion, the Women’s Rights Foundation has said.

The foundation, which is representing the woman, said the prohibitory injunction was issued about a week ago and will remain in place until the court decides whether to uphold it.

Human rights lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic said the alleged abuser had "used the judicial system to continue controlling our client".

She said: “She is 15 weeks pregnant and has no intention of carrying out an abortion. However, that is beyond the point. Regardless of her intentions, this is a breach of her fundamental human rights and EU rights that Malta has subscribed to.”

The warrant, which, prohibits her from travelling breaches her right to freedom of movement and privacy, according to the foundation.

In a Facebook post, WRF added that this was blatant gender discrimination.

The woman, who has other children, left the relationship because of domestic abuse, Dimitrijevic told Times of Malta. 

She said the woman was further subjected to degrading treatment as she had to hand over her passport to immigration officers.

Malta's has among the strictest abortion laws in the world and remains the only country in the EU that bans abortion in all circumstances.