Deborah Schembri

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Deborah Schembri (born 1976 or 1977)[1] is a Maltese politician and attorney who was a member of the Parliament of Malta from 2013 to 2017. She is known for leading the pro-divorce movement during the 2011 Maltese divorce referendum.

2011 pro-divorce campaign

Main article: 2011 Maltese divorce referendum

Malta held a referendum in May 2011 to decide the legality of divorce. Schembri, a 35-year-old family lawyer and single mother, chaired the pro-divorce campaign.[2][3] Because of her advocacy, the Catholic Church in Malta barred her from practicing law in ecclesiastical court, resulting in a 40 percent loss in her income.[3] Schembri participated in several televised debates with Anna Vella, the chair of the anti-divorce campaign.[3] She declared victory on 29 May after initial results showed a majority of voters supporting legalizing divorce, and urged the ruling Nationalist Party to immediately pass the corresponding legislation.[4][5] The bill was passed by the legislature and signed into law in July that year.[6]

Member of Parliament

Schembri was elected to the Parliament of Malta in March 2013 as a member of the Labour Party, and also became a member of the Maltese delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.[7] She authored a PACE report detailing discrimination against transgender people in Europe after meeting with officials and transgender rights advocates in several countries, including England, Scotland, Spain, and Turkey.[8][9] In the assembly, Schembri was an advocate for accessible and affordable gender reassignment procedures, including hormone treatment and surgery.[10]

In November 2013, she announced her candidacy for the 2014 European Parliament election in Malta.[11] She was endorsed by prime minister Joseph Muscat, who had asked her to run. Schembri ran on a platform focused primarily on job creation and civil rights.[12] She was not successful in the November 2014 election, receiving 5,983 votes and finishing eighth among the Labour candidates.[13]

Schembri was appointed as parliamentary secretary for planning and simplification in January 2016 after Michael Falzon resigned.[1] She oversaw a series of major reforms of Malta's Lands Department after the corruption scandal that led to Falzon's resignation, including appointing an audit officer to supervise public land transactions over €100,000.[14][15] She also introduced an amnesty bill for buildings with planning illegalities and increased fines on fish farm operators whose feeding practices resulted in pollution of the Maltese coast.[16][17] Schembri lost a close race for re-election in 2017, and was succeeded by Clayton Bartolo.[18]

Other activities

After leaving office, Schembri became a legal consultant for the Maltese Planning Authority and Lands Authority. She is also the chair of the board of appeals for the government fostering agency.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b "'We do not cast doubts on the Auditor General's reports, and we must learn from them' – Deborah Schembri". Times of Malta. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  2. ^ Grech, Herman (26 May 2011). "Irreconcilable differences as Malta decides on divorce". McClatchy-Tribune Business News – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ a b c Simons, Jake Wallis (27 May 2011). "Malta: moment of decision on divorce". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Malta says yes to divorce with the support of 52% of citizens". EFE News Service. 29 May 2011 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Contenta, Sandro (29 May 2011). "Malta votes 'yes' to divorce in referendum". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  6. ^ "President signs divorce bill – set to become law today". Times of Malta. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Deborah Schembri". Parliamentary Assembly. Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Moving 'Trans-Rights' Forward in National Parliaments". State News Service. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Rapporteur on combating discrimination against transgender people to make fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom". State News Service. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Procedures 'based on self-determination' for changing gender ID on documents". State News Service. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Deborah Schembri to contest MEP elections". Times of Malta. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  12. ^ Dalli, Miriam (15 May 2014). "'Deborah Schembri perfectly fits the bill for MEP', says Joseph Muscat". Malta Today. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  13. ^ Pukelsheim, Friedrich (2017). Proportional Representation: Apportionment Methods and Their Applications (2nd ed.). Springer. p. 26. ISBN 9783319647074. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  14. ^ "New authority will add layer of scrutiny to government land deals". Malta Today. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  15. ^ "From scandal to reform at the Lands Authority". Malta Today. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Amnesty once meant for pre-2013 illegalities, will include recent offences". Malta Today. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Action against polluting fish farms: Cabinet supports emergency enforcement orders". Malta Today. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  18. ^ Schembri, Gabriel (20 June 2017). "Zammit Lewis, Manwel Mallia retain seat as Deborah Schembri is ousted; Bedingfield elected". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Deborah Schembri made chair of foster care appeals board". Times of Malta. 20 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
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