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2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA A discussion the reform of pros- titution reforms must tackle Malta's problems with human trafficking and crime, women's rights activist Lara Dimitrijevic insisted. Speaking to MaltaToday on behalf of the Coalition on Hu- man Trafficking and Prostitu- tion, which represent over 40 local and international NGOs in the field, the lawyer said she feared the absence of a major trafficking fight could dead-leg any reform in prostitution laws. "We were very disappoint- ed that, from what we can see, there was no mention of human trafficking; while we are aware that they are two separate com- mittees [prostitution and hu- man trafficking] for us they go hand and hand. We cannot talk about reforms to prostitution without talking about traffick- ing," Dimitrijevic said. Although the proposed re- forms are not yet public, Dim- itrijevic feared that separating the two fields would create a free-for-all situation. On Sunday, Equality Parlia- mentary Secretary Rosianne Cutjar announced that a techni- cal committee set up for prosti- tution reform was in the initial stages of drafting a legal frame- work that would decriminalise sex work. A report was in the process of being finalised and presented to Cabinet. Key to the report will be the decrimi- nalisation of sex workers, while pimping and brothels will be il- legal, with harsher laws enacted to stop them. Cutajar also refuted the Nordic model of criminalising buyers of sexual services, insisting that would defeat the purpose of de- criminalising sex work. But she invited a harsh reac- tion from NGOs who claimed the proposed approach would be a gift to pimps and traffick- ers, lambasting the committee as being "devoid of experts" in the specific area they are pro- posing legalisation on. Dimitrijevic said that in coun- tries where prostitution was legalised such as Germany and Holland, data showed that such as route had had a profoundly negative effect on women. "A high increase in human traffick- ing was registered due to these laws," she added. In Malta prostitution is not il- legal; soliciting and loitering for the purposes of prostitution is. "If we are to assume that they are talking about the decrimi- nalisation of soliciting and loi- tering, what we are trying to warn is, that by doing so, your encouraging pimps and traffick- ers to continue to exploit this because it will no longer be a criminal activity," Dimitrijevic said. Dimitrijevic said that in recent years, human trafficking had in- creased on the island. "We have already seen it with strip clubs when Malta was being adver- tised as a bachelor's paradise. These reforms could breed the attitude of 'hey, let's open up and become the next tourist sex hub'," she said. Dimitrijevic said much is yet unclear about what sort of ap- proach the government is going to take. "If we're talking about decriminalisation, what form of decriminalisation? If we're go- ing to decriminalise soliciting and loitering are we saying that people can go in the street and prostitute themselves? That this could be our next-door neigh- bour? Could this be done next to schools?" she asked. In an example from reports in New Zealand, she warned that when prostitution was de- criminalised there were cases of prostitution taking place next to schools. "We feel that the proposals were rushed. We have no stud- ies… have they done mappings of areas, have they researched the local scenario and then reached the conclusion that it is in the best interest of sex work- ers? No advocates or experts working alongside women were consulted, at all, at any point in time." Without fight against trafficking, Malta risks becoming tourist sex hub DR Mario Sammut is the new Head of the European Parliament Office in Malta as from September 1 2020. Sammut succeeds Dr Peter Agi- us, who left the EP Office in 2017, and Ms. Anna Zammit Vella, who was acting head ad interim. Dr Sammut is an EU official with 16 years of experience within the European institutions. During the last seven years he was a member of the European Parliament's Legal Service, focusing on economic leg- islation and defending the Euro- pean Parliament's position at the European Court of Justice. Previ- ously, he worked for the Council of the European Union and the European Court of Auditors. In 2016 he was also seconded by the European Parliament to the Maltese Permanent Representa- tion to the European Union to as- sist the Maltese Presidency of the EU Council. Dr Sammut is a law- yer specialised in European Union Law having obtained a Master De- gree from the College of Europe in 2004. He will now be heading the EP Office's communication and en- gagement in Malta on the role and powers of the European Par- liament and its work in order to ensure citizens understand the impact of the institution on their lives. EP Offices – officially entitled European Parliament Liaison Of- fices – are present in each EU Member State. They are the first point of contact for EU citizens with the EU institution that is the voice of the citizens within the EU. New head of European Parliament office in Malta

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