Helena Dalli

Helena Dalli with her permanent secretary in 2017

Helena Dalli (born Elena Abela) is a Maltese politician with the Malta Labour Party, and currently the Minister for European Affairs and Equality.

Career

Dalli was crowned Miss World Malta in 1979, representing Sliema. In 1985 she co-starred in Final Justice, an action film starring Joe Don Baker. This would be her only film role.

She is a visiting lecturer in Economic and Political Sociology, Public Policy, and Sociology of Law at the University of Malta.[1][2]

Political career

In 1996 Dalli was elected to the Parliament of Malta. She was reelected three times, making her the third-most elected woman in Maltese political history.

She was a Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of Prime Minister from 1996 to 1998. In that role Dalli presented a Domestic Violence Bill.

She is currently the Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs, and Civil Liberties within the Maltese Government from 2013-2017 and from the Maltese general election, 2017. She has promoted landmark human rights and equal rights bills, including a Civil Union Bill and a Cohabitation Bill.[2]

In April 2015, she presented a law establishing basic rights for transgender and intersex people. The Gender Identity Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act provides for gender recognition, and recognizes a right to bodily integrity and physical autonomy.[3] This was the world-first such law to be implemented to protect the rights of intersex people.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Dalli was reelected in the 2017 general election. At the start of the new session, the parliament overwhelmingly voted to legalise same-sex marriage. This bill had been introduced and championed by Dalli in her capacity as equality minister.[10]

Dalli made a bid to succeed Louis Grech as deputy prime minister, but Chris Fearne was instead chosen for this role.[11]

Personal life

She is married to Patrick Dalli, a figurative painter. The couple have two sons.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Visiting Staff". University of Malta. November 30, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Helena Dalli". Fundamental Rights Agency.
  3. ↑ Malta (April 2015), Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act: Final version
  4. ↑ Reuters (1 April 2015). "Surgery and Sterilization Scrapped in Malta's Benchmark LGBTI Law". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ Star Observer (2 April 2015). "Malta passes law outlawing forced surgical intervention on intersex minors". Star Observer.
  6. ↑ Cabral, Mauro (April 8, 2015). "Making depathologization a matter of law. A comment from GATE on the Maltese Act on Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics". Global Action for Trans Equality. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
  7. ↑ OII Europe (April 1, 2015). "OII-Europe applauds Malta's Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act. This is a landmark case for intersex rights within European law reform". Retrieved 2015-07-03.
  8. ↑ Carpenter, Morgan (April 2, 2015). "We celebrate Maltese protections for intersex people". Organisation Intersex International Australia. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
  9. ↑ Transgender Europe (April 1, 2015). Malta Adopts Ground-breaking Trans and Intersex Law – TGEU Press Release.
  10. ↑ "Malta's Parliament Approves Gay Marriage".
  11. ↑ "Labour Delegates Choosing Deputy Leader Tonight".
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