Legal Definitions in the EU Member States

Chapter 456

• (1) Without prejudice to the provisions of article 29 of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, it shall be unlawful forany person to sexually harass other persons, that is to say: (a) to subject other persons to an act of physical intimacy;or (b) to request sexual favours from other persons; or (c) to subject other persons to any act or conduct withsexual connotations, including spoken words, gesturesor the production, display or circulation of any writtenwords, pictures or other material, where the act, wordsor conduct is unwelcome to the persons to whom theyare directed and could reasonably be regarded as offensive, humiliating or intimidating to the persons to whom they are directed; or (d) the persons so subjected or requested are treated less favourably by reason of such persons’ rejection of or submission to such subjection or request, it could reasonably be anticipated that such persons would be so treated.
• (2) (a) Persons responsible for any work place, educational establishment or entity providing vocational training or guidance or for any establishment at which goods,services or accommodation facilities are offered to the public, shall not permit other persons who have a right to be present in, or to avail themselves of any facility, goods or service provided at that place, to suffer sexual harassment at that place. (b) It shall be a defence for persons responsible as aforesaid to prove that they took such steps as are reasonably practicable to prevent such sexual harassment.
• (3) Persons who sexually harass other persons shall be guilty of an offence against this article and shall, without prejudice to anygreater liability under any other law, be liable on conviction to a fine (multa) of not more than two thousand and three hundred andtwenty-nine euro and thirty-seven cents (2,329.37) or to imprisonment of not more than six months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Chapter 452, Article 29.

• (1) It shall not be lawful for an employer or an employee to harass another employee or to harass the employer by subjecting such person to any unwelcome act, request or conduct, includingspoken words, gestures or the production, display or circulation ofwritten words, pictures or other material, which in respect of thatperson is based on sexual discrimination and which couldreasonably be regarded as offensive, humiliating or intimidating tosuch person.
• (2) It shall not be lawful for an employer or an employee tosexually harass another employee or the employer (hereinafter inthis article referred to as "the victim") by: (a) subjecting the victim to an act of physical intimacy; or (b) requesting sexual favours from the victim; or (c) subjecting the victim to any act or conduct with sexualconnotations, including spoken words, gestures or theproduction, display or circulation of written words,pictures or other material where -(i) the act, request or conduct is unwelcome to thevictim and could reasonably be regarded asoffensive, humiliating or intimidating to thevictim; (ii) the victim is treated differently, or it could reasonably be anticipated that the victim couldbe so treated, by reason of the victim’s rejection of or submission to the act, request or conduct.

Chapter 9251A

• (1) A person who pursues a course of conduct: (a) which amounts to harassment of another person, and(b) which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of such other person, shall be guilty of an offence under this article.

In Malta, the term stalking is not specifically defined, however it is covered by the Criminal Code.

Violence committed by someone from the domestic or family circle of the victim (definition used by the government).

He who, by force or another factuality, or by threat of violence or another factuality, compels someone to be subjected to actions consisting of or also consisting of the sexual penetration of the body, will be charged with rape and punished with imprisonment of maximum 12 years or a penalty of the fifth category.

He who, by violence or another factuality, or threat of violence or another factuality, compels someone to commit or undergo lewd acts, will be guilty of the offence of factual assault of the dignity and punished with imprisonment of maximum eight years or a penalty of the fifth category.

Sexual harassment at work: in the Arbowet of 2007 the definition of sexual intimidation has disappeared, but it is seen as one of the factors that can lead to "psychosociale arbeidsbelasting", which literally means psychosocial labour presure. The Arbowet (lid 2, artikel 3) of 2007:“The employer will, in the general labour circumstances policy, have a policy dedicated to the prevention and, when this is not possible, the limitation of psychosocial labour pressure.“.

He who unlawfully and systematically breaches another person's personal sphere with the purpose of compelling him to do something, not to do or tolerate something or frighten him, is guilty of stalking and will be punished with imprisonment of maximum three years or a penalty of the fourth category.

The physical and psychological ill-treatment of the person related or remaining in the ongoing, unchanging relationship of dependency.

Domestic Violence: Article 2 paragraph 2 of the Counteracting Violence Against Women Act (2010): “one-time or prevalent intentional action or lack of action which violates rights or personal goods of the people mentioned in article 1 (see below), in particular exposing these persons to the of the loss of their life, health, violation of dignity, physical integrity freedom, including sexual freedom, resulting in the loss of physical and psychological health, resulting in suffering and moral injuries to people exposed to violence” Article 2 paragraph 1: family member- should be understood as closest person understood according to article 115 § 11 Criminal Code (6 June 1997 r) or any other person leaving or sharing a household.

Whoever, by force, illegal threat or deceit subjects another person to sexual intercourse shall be subject to the penalty of the deprivation of liberty for a term of between 2 and 12 years.

If the perpetrator, in the manner specified in paragraph 1, makes another person submit to other sexual acts or to perform such an act, he shall be subject to the penalty of the deprivation of liberty for a term of between 6 months and 8 years.