Malta was praised in the international field when the Act repealing the Leprosy Ordinance and the Leprosy Regulations came into force, the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector said in a statement on Wednesday.

Brent Morgan, the Director of the international organisation known as The Leprosy Mission, was one of the people who praised and thanked the Maltese Government for leading by example by repealing such laws, the Ministry said. It said that Morgan called for other countries to follow Malta's example so that no one faces discrimination because of leprosy.

The laws that were repealed had been adopted in 1919, during the time of the British in Malta, the Ministry said. To this day, such laws allow discrimination against people affected by Hansen's Disease, commonly known as leprosy. The Ministry continued that nowadays, there is a cure for leprosy, meaning that affected people can have a quick recovery and do not need to be kept away from others. It added that Malta was at the forefront of this treatment's development, which is now available worldwide through the World Health Organisation.

Julia Farrugia Portelli, the Minister for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, said that the existence of discriminatory laws, even if they are not used, is enough to continue to spread discrimination against people with disabilities, including those affected by leprosy. The Ministry said that Farrugia Portelli pushed forward the amendments in Parliament, which led to a unanimous decision to repeal the laws.

She concluded by saying that Malta will continue to work with The Leprosy Mission in the organisation's campaign for other countries that still have discriminatory legislation to repeal them, especially countries in the Commonwealth.

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