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“The crime of voluntary homicide in Malta carries the highest possible penalty – life. Therefore, it is pointless to include another crime that also carries a life imprisonment term,” Zammit Lewis had told journalists.

There is so much confusion in the way the subject was being tackled, the minister had said. There was no need to change the law if there is already the highest punishment for voluntary homicide, whether it was a woman or a man who had been killed.

It would be easy for the government to amend the law to include femicide just “to look good”, he had added. But there can be no punishment higher than life imprisonment.

That seemed to be the best way forward. The murder of a man or a woman should be treated in the same way.

But fast forward a few days and, to some surprise, there was a change of heart.

It seems that feminist groups pressured the minister to discriminate between men and women.

https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-02-13/local-news/Femicide-A-hastily-concocted-sexist-legislation-6736240563