As the amendments on animal rights are set to make bestiality illegal, Nationalist Party MP Mario Galea called for the next step to be taken and ensure that necrophilia is also illegal.
Speaking during a parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, amid the second reading of discussions for amendments on the law of sexual acts, Galea spoke passionately about including a legal framework against acts of necrophilia, or updating existing laws to ensure sufficient punishment.
Necrophilia is a term used to describe a person who has a sexual attraction towards a corpse.
In Malta as is the norm with all other countries, the law states that consent is required for sexual acts to be legal. However, the Maltese legislation does not refer to the term necrophilia and thus it provides a legal loophole in such scenarios.
When compared to other countries like Canada, England, Brazil, India and New Zealand, Malta does not carry any penalties for necrophilia. Due to the loophole in the law mentioned above, necrophilia is almost seen as a victimless crime.
Presently therefore, the only way for necrophilia to be convicted in court is through the illegalities leading up to necrophilia. This means that if someone was to murder a person for their necrophilia needs, they would be firstly charged with murder and then necrophilia would be considered as a motive.
Galea therefore called on parliament to draft amendments to the law in order to include the sexual acts of necrophilia making them illegal stating that “although necrophilia is not talked about, one must not make the mistake of thinking that people do not think of or do these acts,” Galea said.
He called for a mature discussion on the subject not only for necrophilia but all sexual offences, paraphilia and most importantly necrophilia. “Although this scenario has not yet become a reality in Malta, we have to prepare for it and send a clear message against these sexual abuse cases.”