30% of births in 2006 were outside wedlock

GiovDeMartino

Feb 26th 2009, 17:18

Several single mothers are noty single at all. Some of them have some sort of business, like hairdressers, bazaars etc, they get their share from their invisible partner and the poor taxpayer has to pay his taxes to help these so called single mothers. The taxpayer should not be forced to subsidise them and their offspring. Yes they are free to marry or not to marry, they are free to have as many children as they want, but then it's up to them to earn a living.

Donna Degaetano

Feb 26th 2009, 15:30

@ Mike Farrugia

I would consider anyone getting himself pregnant for social benefits and all the other things you mentioned to be dumb. I know from experience that no-one survives on social benefits. Tell me just how you expect to buy food and clothing for yourself and your child with 300 euro monthly without considering school expenses, an occasional treat for the child every now and then and all the other things that come up in life. Children with unknown fathers do not get accepted to Church schools easier than other children either. And if the single mum has a second child which also has an unknown father she doesn't get more than the 300 euro monthly she already gets. So please point out to me the benefits of getting pregnant at 13 and 14? 'Cos I honestly cannot see them.

Donna Degaetano

Feb 26th 2009, 15:18

Reading stuff like this makes me wonder about certain things. Having children out of wedlock isn't something against the law or something to be ashamed of. It is something to do with your beliefs. This country is mostly Catholic and that's fine with me... I am too. But it is also a free country and one can choose if he wants to get married, if he wants to have kids with his partner without getting married and what religion (if any) he wants to follow. So why do we consider it shameful if a child is born and the parents are not married? Why, some religions allow their men to have more than one wife and I say ......... who are we to say they are wrong? Belive in what you want and let evryone else believe what he wants!! And it's not like they are harming anyone!! As long as the children are loved and taken care of properly than it's fine with me!!

GiovDeMartino

Feb 26th 2009, 11:26

We sowed the wind and we are reaping the whirlwind. We have become modern.

J.Callus

Feb 26th 2009, 08:52

@Joseph Calleja

30% of kids born out of wedlock includes a large percentage of those born in solid relationships, in love, and in respect. Yet since there is no divorce in Malta, such cohabitating couples who might be living a far more exemplary life than married ones, do have kids, but are considered 'out-of-wedlock'.

Mario Cilia

Feb 26th 2009, 08:21

What is really hard to swallow is that Malta's present gutter morality has become predominant during the past two decades of governance by a party professing to be Christian-Democrat while posing as the champions of Roman Catholicism and being the favoured party of the clergy and most religious zealots. Oqbra mbajda, some call them.

Moses Mula

Feb 26th 2009, 07:42

@Steve Bonello, you are absolutely right. Kids in Malta and Mediteranean countries are generally considered to be the mothers responsibility. Even housework and such. Parental leave should be around a year and while one parent should have to take this leave for at least a couple of months, who takes the bulk of this leave should be decided by the parents. I remember that I stayed a couple of months at home with my daughter here in Sweden and I learned a lot from this experience, such as that as a man I have equal duties to raise my child as my partner. Besides I myself am not married but I have been living with the same partner, and mother of my child for 10 years. I have as many rights and duties as a married man but society does not care if I am married or not. We have to safeguard the family in Malta, but we should not have any rules on how a family should be. Unity is not build through rules, being they church or state rules, but by reciprocal love, respect and a certain kind of freedom were one is still an individual.

t borg

Feb 26th 2009, 07:36

Dr Abela "noted that while the European average of maternity leave is 23 weeks, in Malta it was 13 weeks."

Are'nt we all Europeans? Should we not have the same laws? Did the EU not intervene into how many working hours one can work per week?

Jeffrey Tabone

Feb 26th 2009, 07:26

so what??? who says that the old values are the right values?? cohabitation is as good as the couple involved make it to be, the same applies to marriage. i never understood how marriage is better than cohabitation.

James Coleiro

Feb 26th 2009, 07:24

Where is Fr. Anton Gouder and all those who attacked the HSBC report last year? I rest my case.

Elaine Fitouri

Feb 26th 2009, 06:52

I love how the picture insert is magnifying the word 'Divorce'. Many will no doubt even realise why it's there. But lets all stop blaming the single unmarried mothers for a sec, because it says "children born out of wedlock.. not children born to unknown fathers. So this can easily include the large numbers of children born to TWO unmarried people.. for example.. should one or both have been maried before and separated and not be able to re-marry since we're still the only country on earth that doesn't allow divorce. Hmm....

Ramon Casha

Feb 26th 2009, 06:10

@Joseph Calleja: And who would you test? Every male on the island? Besides, I don't know what costs are involved for DNA testing - for all I know it could be expensive, and who would bear those costs? I don't see why the grandparents of the child should be forced to assume responsibility, assuming the mother/father are legally adult.
Perhaps the only solution would be to revise the way that social benefits are granted, to prevent abuse. This applies not only to child benefits but any form of social benefit.

Melissa Bagley

Feb 26th 2009, 00:24

Yes Steve - both parents should be supported! After all, it takes two parents to have a child conceived. But in a patriarchal society, such things take a LONG time.......

I C Moore

Feb 25th 2009, 23:18

Stop the allowance for single mothers !! I even heared of youngsters who are depressed just because they cannot get pregnant to get the allowance. It's a sick mentality!! These are the new parasites of our taxes - stop them!!

Paul Barrett

Feb 25th 2009, 23:02

Having now driven smoking out of public places, there is now more incentive for people to drink in none public places where, with more privacy and free-flowing (very much cheaper) drink, people are likely to become more carried away with the moment.

Wedlock - Emphasis on the LOCK rather than the WED. Locked in for life, it is a big step for which their is no retreat once taken. It would appear that in the clear light of day some are not prepared to lock themselves into a lifetime relationship following a momentary lapse during a short fling (presuming they can remember with whom they had the lapse with) - irrespective of the female having to live with the consequences.

There is only so much parents can do. The days of "lock up your daughters" is long gone. All you can do is teach them some basic values and launch them into the world and let them get on with it. The more you repress them, the more they will rebel.

D.Galea

Feb 25th 2009, 22:58

@Alfred Grech

Your conversationalist views only shows your fear of a universal evolution of mentalities, time are changing & the definition for moral & dignity go way beyond your point of view.

Edward Bonnici

Feb 25th 2009, 22:18

Lack or morality and turning our back to God bring disasters.
Malta's 'destruction' is from within and is not coming from any outside threat, or outsiders. Thanks to the failure of secularism.

Anthony Demicoli

Feb 25th 2009, 22:16

It boils down to money and social benefits.

Mike Farrugia

Feb 25th 2009, 21:59

13 - 14 year old girls who are not doing so well at school are doing their utmost to become pregnant asap. Benefits?
No more studying for exams
points for govt housing
children's allowance
almost guaranteed to get their child to be accepted in a church school
entitlement to free medicines (by which the entire family and friends benefit)
they also get the government to pay for the legal unknown father certificate
No income tax

......and get pregnant again, and again poor girl! I know of a case of having the fourth child from a fourth unknown father!!!!!

What incentive is there to be a good law abiding citizen in this country?

Joe Fenech

Feb 25th 2009, 21:26

So what?????

It's society evolving. Why is this Angela Abela concerned? What's wrong as long as people take care of their children?

Stop maintenance to single women - there is a father, and like everyone else they need to go and work!!! The government should do like the UK and clamp down on the abuse with many women pretending to be single when they are in a relationship.

What's wrong with people using the internet to date as long as they're not under age?

These so called experts should stop being so patronising.

L..Galea

Feb 25th 2009, 21:19

Joseph calleja
Agree with you.The father shares the responsibility and no unknown father accepted. If there are any questions then DNA tests must be forced and those responsible pay for them. It is totally unfair and absurd that they enjoy themselves and the taxpayers pay for their enjoyment.

Charmaine Magro

Feb 25th 2009, 21:19

Can anybody please highlight how many children out of these are, in fact, born to happy couple cohabiting together, but who cannot get married due to the fact that one of them is separated? When are we going to introduce divorce into this country, and let people get another chance at happiness ?? Frankly, people are still living their own lives, whatever the stigma over them may be!

A 'family' consisting of a happy couple living together who have their own kids, is also a family you know. And in some cases, a happier family than a married couple who opt to stay together 'minhabba n nies' and end up quarrelling on a daily basis - or seek fulfilment outside marriage! Open your eyes, this is reality!

Joseph calleja

Feb 25th 2009, 19:50

30% of kids born out of wedlock is high in any country. Maybe the government should stop the unwed mothers and always find the male parent and make both parents responsible for that child. Don't know who the father is ? Shame on you. Their is DNA that can solve this very problem. Have the parents of the unwed mother or father take responsibility of the the mother and child. Most of these happenings is lack of discipline from the parents to start with, and the other is lack of sex education, not to mention the government who takes over the responsibilities of the parents. Why should all citizens pay for someone else's mistakes and ignorance. Support the child but not the unwed mother and father. There is no excuse for not preventing pregnancies in this day and age. Sex education is a start whether it's done in the home or schools but the government has to stop encouraging such behavior.

d.attard

Feb 25th 2009, 19:33

All we need to do is look at the key drivers that inspired these values over the past thirty years. Starting off with Dallas and Dynasty, onto the advent of l-ghazla that stimulated the worst kind of human excesses, privatisation of lotto, TV fare that is inundated in adverts and shuns all forms of detail in debate,pandering up to our kids reducing their moral and physical stance to a sorry pulp with grandparents ensuring their fragmentation by cheery picking on their sweetness,an incredible assault against marriage by remaining the only nation in the world with a divorce option that opens the way to new families, the list is endless, ...

Steve Bonello

Feb 25th 2009, 19:29

Why should there be a distinction between the mother and father with respect to parental leave?

The choice on who should have the opportunity to continue working/progressing in their career after the birth of a child should be left to the couple.

Measures particularly targeting the mother to encourage her to stay at home should be avoided - they make no sense in a modern society where equal opportunities between genders should be the norm.

There should also be more emphasis on the role (& duties) the father can play in his children's upbringing. Given our mediterranean (macho) mentality, education is essential.

Alfred Grech

Feb 25th 2009, 18:49

It may be a good idea if we all go back to the old style moral way of living and restore some of our dignity.