NCPE in talks with national orchestra on internal policies after sexual harassment scandal – Heritage Minister

The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality is in talks with the national orchestra to implement internal policies following a sexual harassment scandal that rocked the cultural sector, Heritage Minister Owen Bonnici said on Monday.

In reply to parliamentary questions by PN Graziella Attard Previ and PN MP Claudette Pace, the minister confirmed that given the state of urgency, the national orchestra was given priority for such policies given the situation, but did not exclude the idea of the same policies being implemented in other institutions which fall within his ministry.

In October, a senior official at the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra who cannot be named by court order was placed under a restraining order, as well as a suspended sentence, after admitting to having sexually harassed a young female orchestra musician over a span of more than three years.

The orchestra’s CEO Sigmund Mifsud, separately, was later charged with tampering with evidence after he allegedly instructed MPO employees to stay quiet on the scandal.

On Monday, Bonnici confirmed that given the National orchestra case, the NCPE will “assist in the best way possible to create dedicated policies”

Additionally, the minister said that the government already has an anti-harassment policy, which was also made use of when the case itself first emerged.

Apart from a dedicated structured policy, the national orchestra employees will also benefit from specialised anti-harassment training so that “no abuse is tolerated”.

“We want to strengthen the structures within the orchestra”, the minister said.