Commissioner worried over imprisonment of children

The Commissioner for Children, Carmen Zammit, has expressed concern over the "recent trend" of children being sent to prison.

Ms Zammit lamented the lack of facilities for children placed in detention, with some of the youngsters sent to the Corradino Correctional Facility being transferred to Mount Carmel Hospital "as though this was in their best interest".

Ms Zammit appealed to all those who have responsibilities in this matter to consider the spirit of the Rights of the Child Convention, which calls for alternatives to detention. She also referred to the Manifesto for Children issued by her office and expressed the hope that suitable alternatives will be provided to deal with children who commit a crime.

In the last two months, three adolescents have been sentenced to serve short prison terms in separate cases.

Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl recently held a protest outside the law courts to insist that children should not be incarcerated.