Malta — Legal Help

Prostitution itself is not a criminal offence in Malta, but almost everything around it is: loitering and soliciting for prostitution, living off the earnings, and running a brothel are offences under the White Slave Traffic (Suppression) Ordinance (Cap. 63, dating from 1930); a decriminalisation reform was floated in 2019–2021 but never enacted. The age of consent is 16 (set in 2018); any commercial sexual involvement of a person under 18 is a serious crime. Emergency number 112; police stations operate in English.

If arrested you have the right to consult a lawyer before and during questioning, plus state legal aid if you cannot pay. Embassies and high commissions in the Valletta area can provide lawyer lists, family notification and detention visits — not release. Do not sign statements you have not read; everything official will be available in English.