The bill against gender-based violence and domestic violence has been approved by Parliament with 44 voting in favour and 20 against.
Ten Opposition MPs voted with the Government after Opposition Leader Adrian Delia granted a free-vote to MPs, explaining that it was a matter of conscious, as was the case with the Embryo Freezing bill.
PN MPs Claudette Buttigieg, Chris Said, Simon Busuttil, Karol Aquilina, Mario De Marco, Karl Gouder, Jason Azzopardi, Therese Comodini Cachia as well as PD MPs Marlene Farrugia and Godfrey Farrugia voted in favour of the bill.
20 Members of the PN Parliamentary Group, including PN Leader Adrian Delia, Deputy Leaders Robert Arrigo and David Agius, PN Whip Robert Cutajar, and MP Edwin Vassallo, voted against.
The bill now amends the Civil Code Chapter 16 of the Laws of Malta. It will fully integrate the provision of the Istanbul Convention into national law and intends to provide legal protection to victims of violence as well as ascertaining justice is made to perpetrators of such violence.
During the committee stage, an amendment to lower the age of consent to 16 was included in the bill.
On the Government's side, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat ensured that there was unanimity with regards to this bill and all MPs voted in favour.
Farrugia on behalf of Partit Demokratiku said that whilst he was in favour of the bill the term descendent was "vague and ambiguous" and can be interpreted in several ways. For the PD "a human person from its creation to the end deserves all the dignity and respect through all stages of its life".
Reacting on social media, Muscat wrote that it was "simply inconceivable that Opposition leader grants a free vote of “conscience” on a bill to protect victims of #domesticviolence as per #IstanbulConvention. The situation becomes farcical when the same leader ends up voting against this bill and promises to repeal it."
KNZ welcomes the lowering of age of sexual consent to 16
The National Youth Council (KNZ) welcomed the lowering of the age of consent to 16.
"KNZ has been on the forefront of the civil society movement in favour of this move, bringing Malta in line with the majority of EU Member States," a statement read.
"KNZ encourages the Government to carry out a holistic sexual health education campaign to empower youths with the necessary knowledge in this extremely important field and ensure the effective access to health services in this regard.
"This should also include an expert task force of educators in secondary schools, incorporating formal and non-formal education and committing to the investment in higher quality sexual health clinics, facilitating free-self testing and the improvement in the accessibility and the educational use of contraceptives amongst youths."
PN Statement
The opposition agreed that within 100 days of the new nationalist government, protection of the unborn child will be reinstated following its removal by the Government. PN has always and will always be against violence and by the removal of the protection of the unborn child the government had chosen not to be pro-life.
Helena Dalli Statement
Minister for European Affairs and Equality Helena Dalli stated that the unborn child had not lost its rights, despite what the opposition had said. Dalli also noted that tonights vote portrayed a divided opposition. The PN, she said, was trying to win political points at the detriment of the victims of domestic violence and gender based violence.