Malta Public Transport has "paused" a road safety campaign after the equality watchdog slammed its "problematic portrayal of gender and race”.

The series of adverts run jointly by the MPT and Mapfre Middlesea Insurance depict a dark-skinned character called Mr Careless and a fair-skinned family named the Safe Family. 

They were criticised by anti-racism campaigners, who described them as "shameful" and said they played into the 'Bad is Black' narrative.

At the time, both Malta Public Transport and Mapfre insisted that the campaign was a “totally innocent” one with no racial undertones.

However, on Tuesday, the National Commission for Promotion of Equality said it had reviewed video clips forming part of the campaign and identified both racial and gender stereotypes in them.

The NCPE said that while the stereotypical depictions "might have been unintentional", the adverts should be withdrawn nonetheless.

In a statement, Malta Public Transport said it would pause the campaign following the NCPE's advice.

"Malta Public Transport would like to ensure that its educational content clearly communicates its values of inclusivity and equal opportunities, therefore the campaign is being paused until it has been discussed with all stakeholders," the company said.

It said it had reached out to the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, Black Lives Matter Malta and the African Media Association to discuss the educational videos being produced to promote road safety in Malta.

Asked why the adverts remain on social media, Malta Public Transport said it had no further comment to make. 

When Mapfre was pressed on whether the videos would be pulled from social media, a spokeswoman said: "It is our understanding that Malta Public Transport is planning to meet with NCPE to discuss the matter further."