Malta

432,644

0.29%

Number of girls and women affected

There is currently no statistical information about how many girls and women living in Malta have undergone FGC. The practice is not indigenous to Malta, however FGC has been known to continue within some diaspora, refugee and immigrant populations.

Type practised

The type of FGC practised by communities in Malta is likely to be varied, depending on the traditions surrounding the practice within their ethnic group/country of heritage.

Age

The average age at which girls living in Malta have undergone FGC is unknown. Girls at risk may undergo FGC from birth, approximately up until the age of 16, depending on the traditional age of cutting within a specific ethnic group.

Agent

Varied. Girls living in Malta may be at risk of undergoing the practice within the country, or overseas. This could be carried out by a medical practitioner, or by a traditional cutter.

Legal status

Illegal. Malta introduced a law against FGC in January 2014. It is also illegal to take a girl overseas to undergo the practice.

National progress

• Malta has ratified several international conventions condemning FGC, such as the
  Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It has also ratified the Istanbul Convention.

Human Development Index ranking

29 in 2018 index, based on 2017 data.

Infant mortality rate

5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births (2016).

Maternal mortality rate

9 deaths per 100,000 live births (2015).

Source: Human Development Index

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