Divorce in Malta: Finally legal
The most debated topic in Malta
Divorce in Malta was a very hot topic during 2011. In fact, while the rest of the world was busy dealing with the Arab revolution, the killing of Bin Laden and the massive earthquake in Japan, Malta was busy arguing whether to legalize divorce or not. While you might think that this is a frivolous issue, the Maltese definitely didn’t think so. For months, Malta was split in half and was stuck in long discussions – on TV, radios, newspapers, blogs and even public meetings, with all the different sides giving their own opinion and advising whether people should vote yes or no in the referendum that was held on the 30th of May, 2011 across Malta.
But why the big deal? Why did Malta even bother to hold a national referendum on divorce - an issue that was settled centuries ago in other communities? Many claim that the power of the Church in Malta is too great, and therefore, they took the opportunity to challenge this authority by supporting the legalisation of a purely civil issue. Others saw divorce as the beginning of the end of Maltese families, so they went at great lengths to oppose this new evil.
The effects of divorce on Malta and the Maltese society
In the end, the referendum result was 52.67% in favour and 46.4% against. A few months later legislation was enacted, but discussions never really stopped. It seems that every individual has something to say and they all do their best to make themselves heard. I suppose that we can never know if the good or evil won; certainly freedom of choice, morality and values have different levels of importance for each individual. But what we can definitely conclude is that the Maltese take religious and family issues quite seriously. It’s only with time, that we can analyse if the legalization of divorce has any true effect on the general values of the Maltese society. Let’s wait and see.
Antonella Bonavia