At a news conference during which the measures for the 2021 Budget were listed, the Minister for Justice, Equality, and Governance Edward Zammit Lewis stressed the strong investment being made in the justice in the country.
Among these, Minister Zammit Lewis mentioned the planned extension of the building of the Courts of Malta, where with an investment of around € 2.2 million, four new chambers and twenty-five new offices will be built. The Minister also spoke about the investment being made in the Asset Recovery Office, with the aim of combating organized crime and money laundering. This Office is being strengthened both in terms of human resources, where the number of staff will increase from 12 to 45, and also in facilities, where a warehouse with an investment of € 2.4 million has been purchased to keep the recovered assets in a professional and safe way.
Minister Zammit Lewis also spoke about the separation of the Attorney General’s Office, where after it split in two is now operating from a larger, restored building. The same goes for the State Attorney’s Office where a new building will be inaugurated in the coming days.
Minister Zammit Lewis pointed out that all this will be leading to more efficient justice in our country, with the aim of better serving the citizen, with increasing access to justice.
Minister Edward Zammit Lewis concluded by saying that this is a Government that not only believes in the rule of law and good governance, but also invests heavily in them.
Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms Rosianne Cutajar argued how this is a budget that attaches as much importance to social wellbeing as economic well-being. Equality emerges as a priority in this budget with the Government addressing it in a structured way and in every area of life.
Parliamentary Secretary Cutajar said that through the first National Strategy and Action Plan on Gender Integration and Gender Equality, the Government will be addressing the systemic inequalitiesthat still exist today and which hold women back.
She added that the Government will continue to strengthen what it has built in the LGBTIQ + field. In fact, work will begin in the near future on the first center for the LGBTIQ + community, from which all services aimed at the LGBTIQ + community as well as new ones will be provided centrally. The Parliamentary Secretary recalled how Malta will be hosting Europride in 2023, the largest LGBTIQ + event on an international scale. EuroPride Valletta 2023 has the potential to attract thousands of tourists to Malta, and will serve as an opportunity for the country to promote its values of equality.
The Parliamentary Secretary also stated that the Government is committed to continuing the fight against human trafficking. A special section related to this area will be set up in the Directorate for Human Rights, with the aim of preparing and implementing two national strategies and action plans, one on human trafficking, and the the other on sex and prostitution. Strategies will be focused on protecting and assisting victims, as well as more serious enforcement against the perpetrators of these crimes. Regarding the sex and prostitution industry, the first ‘Support Service’ was launched a few weeks ago for people in the world of prostitution.
All this clearly shows a Government that will continue to work hard for a more equal Malta.
