Married couples are still at a disadvantage compared to unmarried couples when it comes to adopting a child.

The current law forbids married couples from adopting children unless they have been married for three years.

But cohabiting couples don’t face the same restrictions, Joe Gerada of Suret il-Briedem has told Maltastar. They can start adoption procedures whenever they like.

Marco Cremona and his wife Joanna are one couple that have found themselves in this discriminatory situation. They are unable to start the process for adoption because they haven’t been married for three years. Dr Edward Zammit Lewis has filed a judicial protest on behalf of the Cremona couple earlier this week.

The anomaly was discovered two years ago and a Maltese court asked for the discrimination between married and cohabiting couples, this time in cohabiting couples’ favour, to be removed.

Nothing has been done yet.