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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 JUNE 2019 9 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA THE success of women at the European elections should not be used as an excuse to give a false picture that Malta had achieved gender equal- ity at a political level, equality minister Helena Dalli said. Dalli was speaking at the Na- tional Commission for the Promotion of Equality's an- nual conference that comparing politics at a European level with politics at a local level was "sim- plistic". "One has to take into con- sideration that there are more candidates at a European level than there are at a local level, so there is a more probable chance of women getting elected." She said that people's minds should not be put to rest be- cause of this particular good re- sult for women. "We cannot say that our job is done." Dalli said that introducing gender quotas was a measure being introduced to safeguard women's rights, but should not be a permanent solution. "It's a measure we only plan to put in- to place for 10 to 20 years, while society adjusts." "The government continues to reinforce its commitment, which has been done through strengthening equality for eve- ryone, particularly those ini- tiatives to facilitate the recon- ciliation of work and family life and enhance equal economic independence for women and men," she said, referring to the introduction of separate tax ac- counts for married couples and partners. Dalli noted that governmental measures had contributed to a significant increase of 15.8% in the female employment rate be- tween 2013 and 2018. Dalli also recognised the im- portant role of the NCPE in safeguarding equality and reit- erated the government's com- mitment towards the estab- lishment of a National Human Rights and Equality Commis- sion with a stronger remit and widened powers. NCPE Commissioner Renee Laiviera highlighted the pro- gress achieved, however she noted that many challenges remained, reiterating NCPE's commitment to enhancing equality in specific areas, in- cluding the representation of women and men in employ- ment and decision-making po- sitions. "Despite a steady increase of women in employment, there is still a gender gap in employ- ment, gender segregation and the gender pay gap that inhibit equality at the workplace," she said. Laivera noted that stereotypes on the roles of women and men still prevail, manifested by the high number of women who make use of family-friendly measures in public administra- tion, which can have implica- tions on their career advance- ment. "There is still gender segrega- tion in education with women being prominent in courses such as Education and Health Sciences, whilst males in Engi- neering and ICT that in turn is reflected in the segregation of the labour market." Harassment at the workplace Laivera noted that it was the responsibility of the NCPE to ensure that society was free from discrimination, which in- cluded gender, racial or ethnic origins and freedom of move- ment for workers in the EU. She said victims who have faced dis- crimination, on these grounds fall under the remit of the NCPE and are eligible to submit a complaint. "In 2018, 11 complaints were lodged with the NCPE on the grounds of discrimi- nation and unfair treatment due to sex," she said. Six complaints were lodged due to ethnic origin/racial dis- crimination, two for sexual harassment, two for religious beliefs, and four due to freedom of movement. Laivera said that one of the recommendations made by the NCPE is that policies should be put into place to state that per- sons involved in educational in- stitutions, especially those are a management level, should gen- der mainstream all actions and procedures, and that the obliga- tion on educational institutions to implement equality and sex- ual harassment policies. Success of Maltese women MEPs still no guarantee of gender equality Equality minister Helena Dalli NCPE Commissioner Renee Laiviera DAVID HUDSON THE owner of an Għajnsielem snack bar has been sentenced to six years in prison for supplying patrons at her es- tablishment with cocaine. Susan Bugeja, 45, was charged with supplying and distributing cocaine at Jumbo's Snack Bar, which she owns. She was also charged with the aggra- vated possession of illegal substances, as well as selling the drug in the vicinity of a school. The case dates back to the summer of 2013 when the police received a call say- ing that someone was supplying cocaine at Jumbo's Snack Bar in Għajnsielem. A witness claimed that two people entered the accused's bar and both left within five minutes of them entering. One of them was intercepted by the po- lice at Victoria in Gozo. Two suspected bags of cocaine were found by the of- ficers. Police started monitoring the bar and would see Bugeja occasionally leave the bar, crossing the street and pass out packets of cigarettes to people stopping their car. Over the course of a few days, the po- lice intercepted several individuals who had left the bar and in most cases they found that these individuals were in possession of sachets containing sus- pected cocaine. Police then searched the snack bar and found a metal box in which was a packet of Rothmans Blue that contained several sachets of cocaine. On the toilet tank cover inside the establishment, po- lice found traces of cocaine as well. Police also found a magnet attached to the electricity meter in the basement. Several witnesses interrogated by the police confirmed to buying cocaine off the snack bar owner. The prosecution told the court that the accused admit- ted to procuring and selling drugs and that she had fully cooperated with the police. From the compilation of evidence, the court declared that it was convinced that the accused had been supplying drugs to various clients who came to her bar. "There are no conflicts in the testimo- nies of the police. The consistent nar- rative is believable, cocaine was found on the premises and the substantial amount of money found on the accused continues to reinforce the allegation that Bugeja was selling cocaine," the court said. "While it understands that the accused might have been going through tough times due to family circumstances, this is no justification for shedding criminal responsibility. By selling drugs to sev- eral people, the accused is contributing to their bad habits and subsequently de- stroying their lives," it continued. The court found Bugeja guilty of all charges and sentenced her to six years' imprisonment and a fine of €5,000. It also ordered all the illegal drugs con- fiscated by the police to be destroyed. Inspector Charles Bernard Spiteri led the prosecution. Magistrate Joe Mifsud presided over the court. Snack bar owner gets six years for supplying cocaine

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