Rosianne Cutajar
Rosianne Cutajar (born 1988) is a Maltese politician of the Labour Party. She is a member of the Parliament of Malta representing the Sixth District electoral division.[1]
The Hon. Rosianne Cutajar is Parliamentary Secretary for Civil Rights and Reforms within the Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance. As a junior minister within Prime Minister Robert Abela’s government, she is responsible for Malta’s equality and civil rights policy and its implementation, together with the country’s legislative reforms across various sectors of government.
Education
Cutajar attended the Qormi Primary School, going on to the Maria Assunta Girls school in Hamrun for her secondary education. She attended the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School.[2] She graduated with a BA with Honours Degree as well as a Postgraduate Certificate from the University of Malta.[3]
Political career
Elected to Malta’s House of Representatives in 2017, the Hon. Cutajar has successfully spearheaded the introduction of cutting-edge legislation in the fields of civil rights, gender and equality in Malta, as well as the updating of existing laws, and has spoken out on a number of social, policy and bio-ethical concerns of national import.
The Hon. Cutajar’s present commitments include, among other aspects, the drafting of a state-of-the-art Equality Law for Malta. Over the past years, her leadership and input towards new legislation have been pivotal in taking forward a timely and effective reforms for Malta. Together with leading the process towards Malta’s first-ever Equality Law, in her first year as Parliamentary Secretary the Hon. Cutajar has led and set the agenda for a wide-ranging line-up of policy initiatives for Malta. These include Malta’s historic Gender Balance Reform, the drafting of Malta’s first-ever National Action Plan against Racism and Xenophobia (NAPRAX), the updating of Malta’s divorce laws, the securing of financial commitment towards Malta’s first-ever LGBTIQ+ Community Hub, as well as securing Malta’s winning bid for the hosting of EuroPride 2023.
Moreover, as Parliamentary Secretary the Hon. Cutajar has worked on IVF legislation, debated the issues of alternative options to imprisonment, the lowering of the voting age threshold to sixteen, tangible action against domestic abuse, opened up the debate on a regulatory framework for prostitution, as well as working on a reform to decriminalise the responsible personal use of Cannabis. Parliamentary Secretary Cutajar has also been responsible for the launch of a 24/7 helpline for victims of domestic violence, an initiative that has been flagged as a best practice at European level.
From the backbench, she successfully spearheaded the introduction of Malta’s Cremation Law, and spoke up about a range of social, educational and ethical issues, emphasising a progressive vision for change that ensures the respect towards and rights of Malta’s citizens and communities.
The Hon. Cutajar was formerly Commissioner for Simplification and Reduction of Bureaucracy, Chairperson of Malta’s Parliamentary Committee for Family Affairs, Malta’s Head of Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCEPA), and Chairperson of the College of Regulators.
She is the youngest Member of Parliament in the current legislature and the second youngest woman MP after former President Agatha Barbara.
Prior to her election to the Parliament of Malta, she was the first youngest female mayor of Qormi, one of Malta’s largest localities — a position she held for two consecutive terms.
References
- "Hon Rosianne Cutajar MP". Parliament of Malta. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- "Commissioner for Simplification". simplification.gov.mt. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- Vassallo, Raphael (7 August 2018). "It's not just about numbers : Rosianne Cutajar". Malta Today. Retrieved 12 October 2018.