Malta Press Release - 12 October 2020
The International Naturist Federation (INF-FNI) is pleased to inform that a group of Maltese naturists have launched a website (www.maltesenaturism.com) with the aim of raising awareness for support of naturist initiatives in Malta.
The INF-FNI is happy to note that the Maltese Naturists have declared in their homepage, their intention to abide by the definition of naturism as understood by the INF-FNI – ‘to live in harmony with nature as characterised by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging selfrespect, respect for others and for the environment.’The fundamental premise of naturism has always been based on the fact that public nakedness is non-sexual and practised in specific designated areas.
The website seeks to promote opportunities for a practice that has been outlawed and shunned by the Maltese Government and authorities for quite some time.
This has practically resulted in the absence of any naturist facilities being provided both to locals and tourists visiting the island. As of 2020, Malta is probably the only Mediterranean state in the EU that does not offer an official nudist beach. The law still treats any reported instance of public nudity as a criminal offence. From reports that we receive, there unfortunately remains a sizeable segment of the Maltese population that associates public nudity with sex and is hostile and intolerant to such a practice. Many locals have explained to us how in such an island mentality where there reigns a high degree of familiarity, it is quite easy to be exposed to malicious gossip, ridicule, embarrassment, shame and personal attacks.
Seen within this context, the Maltese Naturist group deserve the full respect of the INF-FNI for promoting such a noble cause through their website. They should be commended for their courage, as many local naturists complain about the difficulty of going public with the cause.
We cannot understand why the Labour Government, which is considered progressive on civil and minority issues, especially on LGBT rights, has never done anything to address the issue in its seven years of power. We have been informed that the stretch of coastline between Gnejna Bay and Riviera Martini known as Qarraba Bay has long been unofficially tolerated as a place where persons can sunbathe and swim naked. The INF has recently written to the Prime Minister Robert Abela to encourage his Government to amend the Criminal Code on public nudity and officially declare at least one beach as nudist. As of date, the INF-FNI has not even received an acknowledgment to its letter.
As we have pointed out to the Prime Minister, Malta is losing considerable potential tourist income from a niche market that many of the EU Mediterranean countries cater nearly all year round with their sunny weather and warm blue seas.
The INF-FNI represents the interest of over 450,000 naturists worldwide and its membership is the most recognised in the naturist world. It also represents naturist federations from 37 countries and a further 13 representatives known as official correspondents. The INF-FNI has around 1,000 unique clubs, clothes optional resorts, nude beaches and holiday centres listed on its website www.inf-fni.org
The promotion of naturism shares a universal message in its offer of tranquillity and relaxation from the daily stress and anxieties of life. When naturism is based on the fundamental premise that it is nonsexual and in designated areas, one can easily argue that naturism does not cause any harmful effects or negative consequences on the people or the environment. The website launched by the group of Maltese Naturists is a step in the right direction as it seeks to promote opportunities for naturism in Malta, especially with foreign tourists while reminding them to be always considerate of the law. The website does point out that prudence and caution must be exercised at all times when any person is in a remote area or beach. It offers an excellent platform for networking and connecting with like-minded people.
The INF-FNI hopes that maybe one day the Maltese Government listens to this silent voice which deserves respect as with all the other minority issues under consideration. It remains our hope that the issue of public nakedness in Malta becomes a normalised issue as with other EU states. To this end, the INF-FNI is always readily available for discussion with any Maltese Government to advance and promote a harmless cause that at the same time can provide many benefits to locals and tourists alike. The INF-FNI will keep lobbying governments worldwide on the right to be naked in international human rights law.
Best regards
Sieglinde Ivo INF-FNI President INF-FNI
Jean Peters Vice president
Rolf Hostettler INF-FNI Vice president
The Press release was sent to Times of Malta, The Malta Independent and Malta Today on the 12th of October 2020. Only Malta Today covered the press release.
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