Monday 26 March 2012

Di-ve: NCPE assigned new responsibilities

http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsId=89991&newscategory=36
by di-ve - editorial@di-ve.com

Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family Justice Chris Said announced an amendment to the responsibilities which fall under the remit of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE).

He extended the responsibility of this commission to deal with discrimination related to sexual orientation, religion, beliefs, gender identity and age.

The Minister pointed out that laws already exist with the aim of safeguarding citizens' rights and protecting them from racial and gender discrimination. Nevertheless, the NCPE will be given further responsibility because it was also one of current government's electoral promises.

In addition, more laws will be introduced to eliminate all forms of discrimination.

With International Women's Day right around the corner, Justice Minister Said took the opportunity to share two interesting statistics. In the realm of higher education, 6 out of every 10 students at the University of Malta are females. In the working world, 6,092 more women were registered as employed than in 2008.

The Minister added that the government has encouraged women to seek employment through a number of family-friendly measures, such as by extending maternity leave from 16 to 18 weeks. 

He also commented on the fact that 20% of the candidates for this weekend's local council elections are women. He went on to say that though this proportion is inadequate, it indicates a clear step forward as women increasingly participate in politics.

No comments:

Post a Comment