28 schoolgirl mothers receive assistance

Aghmilli pjacir Sur Callus u lili kkwotani sewwa. It-thaggir, qtil ecc int semmejthom. Jien ghedt dak li kien isir minghajr ma dhalt fil-mertu tieghu. Jien le ma ghandix principji nsara. Dawn kulhadd kif jaqbillu. Min ghandu dawn il-principji? Dawk li ma jmorru kniosja qatt, dawk li huma favur id-divors, l-abort, il-koabitazzjoni, is-sess qabel iz-zwieg, il-kontracettivi, l-evazzjoni tat-taxxi, l-isfruttar tal-haddiem, is-serq fuq ix-xoghol...Min ghandu principji nsara. Le jien MARRIDX nissussidja l-kapricci u l-izbalji ta' haddiehor. Min jizbalja jhallas!

Sex education alone is not the solution .Lets take a example Xumimu take at lease five year trying to educate people to use canvas bags instead of plastic bags .No one take care about xumimu campaign except as the government enforce a charge on the plastic bags and now a days everyone use the canvas bags .
This is the same situation were no one take care just doing sex and then waiting of what happed. IF not pregnant do it again if yes forgot the father's name and register her self as a single mother and UnKnown father (bhal li kieku kienu hafna li ma tiftakarx xi seta kien jismhu ).
We need that everyone will be responsible for his actions and it is not fare that other people pay for it. The child will have the right to know his father name!!!!!

@Sarah Attard - I do believe that sex education should be taken more seriously at school, but first and foremost it should begin at home.

I agree with solidarity in our society. Help in the form of assistance from social workers and psycologists is acceptable in these cases, but financial help should not be given, as this will lead to abuse of the system and more girls will go for it. There is a clear example of this in the 'single mothers' assistance where there is blatant abuse in the system. I think this should be urgently addressed by the Finance Minister in the next budget for the benefit of all hard-working taxpayers.

There's another solution. Abortion. I do not care if you approve or not, after all I can afford a couple tickets to the UK if the need arises.

@Giov De Martino
Ghandek principji nsara eh?
Veru, dari kif ghedt int kienu jahbuhom (joqtluhom, gieli wara li jitwieldu)
Mela sewwa issa, noqtlu t-trabi biex ma nhallsux taxxa (poor taxpayer)
Tifla ta 13 hi tifla u trid tghina. Le mhix hatja. Ghadda z-zmien li nhaggru n-nisa zienja.
U t-tarbija? X'tort ghanda t-tarbija sur De Martino?

@ Kevin Micallef

"Throwing Christianity" at a Christian could well bounce back in this case. Now where in the Bible is it written that the "sins of the parents are visited on their children unto the third and fourth generation"?

Or was that in the Old Testament before God decided to change His policies towards mankind?

@Kevin Micallef. Browse hi5 and than come back pls. Be real, don't just base facts on theory, christianity or other nonsense. So first they have pleasure and then pretend all the benefits to raise their children............and as if it's not enough ppl like you encourage them. Thanks. Abortion for unplanned/unwanted babies could also be an option. These babies are not made out of love but from sexual pleasure. There's a HUGE difference.

@Deo Catania
Are you joking? A 13 year old who gets preganant is not a victim? You are either kidding or extremely insensitive!!!

@Chales Sammut
We are "throwing christianity" at Mr Demartino because he professes to be one.....while on the otherhand totally disregarding its teaching towards people in these situations. Remember the stoning of the adultress?

And all you are thinking is about the SEX....you seem to forget that pregnant girls have BABIES. And having babies born in poverty (because most of pregant teenagers come from poor backgrounds) is not an option. Hurting the baby to punish the mother is criminal.

Solutions:
1)Sex Education, which is totally absent, thanks to the lobbying of the curia.
2) More social workers to follow up these mothers and babies to make sure money spent wisely and there is no abuse. And that father doing his share.
This way gov may be spending less money because less girls get pregnant, and money he spends is not abused of and is spent on babies.

Yes Mr DeMartino, morality.....as in helping teenage mothers. You expect teenagers to act in a moral way....while you are preaching to the goverment that he should act in an immoral way and abandon these mother!

Remember that we are talking about teenagers over here.....their behavior is a reflection of their education. So the blame lies in the way that society and the state is educating our children.

We need only one thing. We have to bring back our sense of morality. But I'm afraid that that has finished for good. Half the university students, remember university students, admitted that they have had sex recently...or something like that. It was not a mistake.....

Minister T. Fenech could provide a solution.
Money (social benefit) in this case is the key word.
In last budget Minister Fenech suggested Long-term unemployed to do community work, this is a good step forward. Hopefully, in the coming budget he will introduce tougher measures for single parents (by choice). If such measures implemented co-habitations and irresponsible sexual-relation would be discouraged. And this would serve a lesson for girls to think twice before getting the flower watered. Unless we tackle all these social disease and all forms of abuses the whole system will collapse!
Its not a question to stone or not to stone. Simply no government would afford such gloomy situation in a time where the economy heading for the unknown.

I am sure Jesus is not happy to see 99.9 of his follower females having sex before marriage or at the age of 14 or 15 years.
Jesus is not happy to see teenager pregnant mothers.
Jesus is not happy to see 25-30 % of Christian born babies are either of unknown fathers or out of wed-lock.
Tougher measures from Minister Fenech would make Jesus happier and our society healthier.

@ Galea L.

Excellent idea.....

I totally agree that they should be helped, but then they should also name the father.
If they do not no financial aid should be given.
The father should be made to shoulder his responsibility.
DNA testing should be enforced if necessary and the father made to pay for all the DNA tests expenses and paying for all the child's needs.
It is also irresponsible and degrading for the child not to know his father and be listed as father unknown.
Multiple pregnancies by the same mother, and there have been such cases, clearly evidence that the mother is only after enjoying herself and enjoying the social services money at other taxpayers expense.
Also there must be a thorough examination of why this is happening (apart from moral laxity) and what kind of sex education are our children being given.

@ pauline ellul

I am genuinely happy that it worked out for you. Neither do I begrudge you the moral help you got. It was a good investment in your case.

What I object to is the way responsible people are nowadays penalised to compensate for the consequences of irresponsible ones. This is not just with single mothers who refuse to name the father for obvious reasons, but also unemployable people who even threaten prospective employers so that they can continue to claim welfare, smokers and gluttons who are such a burden on the health system because of their unhealthy lifestyle. Not to mention the spread of STDs because of rampant promiscuity.

This sad statistic should not have been used as an attack against G.DeMartino and the government. I laugh when I read that more sexual education is needed. Sex is today being propagated in every single corner of the world and each youngster has no excuse when caught pregnant. They do it willfully not bothering about the consequences. They know that after all there's the government(the taxpayer) who comes to their rescue. Stop all allowances and you will immediately see a decline in these sorry statistics. DNA will not solve this problem as girls rarely devulge the partner they had sex willfully with.

Sadly, it is obvious that we need an effective sex education system. something a bit shocking.... like how it can ruin a girls life to have unprotected sex with the possibility of pregnancy at such a young age. It can ruin their health, education prospects, social life... and they miss out on a lot of fun too.... It's no picnic raising a child in the standard family unit, let alone as a teenager.

Re DNA.... I agree with this concept. But how on earth will one get a "father" to agree to it... What matters ultimately is that the cheques roll in and also the possiblity of housing.
I'm generalising here. I'm sure the majority are genuine cases... but unfortunately the unscrupulous cases are increasing.

@charles sammut
I'm not expecting nothing for your information.I was 16 when I got pregnant.
I'm just saying that these people helped me a lot not financially but morally.
I'm not saying that it's good to get pregnant at a tender age but finding people to give you moral support is good. That's all i'm saying, maybe I was lucky that the father of my baby took full responsability and together we got through the rough times.
I didn't get married while I was pregnant either. It took us quite some time to get married.My eldest son was 3 years so I didn't get married to hide the situation that I was pregnant.
you have to be in the situation to be able to talk that's all i wanted to say but in Malta everyone likes to point fingers.

Programs such as Ghozza and sex education in schools should be given all the support necessary,I as a taxpayer dont mind that.

What I do mind is, single mothers & "single mothers" of all ages turning to the govt for help when they in turn should turn to their partners for help.......to add insult to injury besides given allowance(a present for irresponsible behaviour) these cases are preferred for govt housing......so why not do it ???

@jcmicallef
Of course you wouldnt hear of boys defiling such girls.......cause in most cases being a "mistake or accident" its like a hit and run hence father/defiler is "UNKNOWN" or MR Rampant abuse.

Reality is that teenages and adults engage in sexual activities with no concern for what comes next.May I also remind that sometime ago this newspaper reported that STDs are on the increase,though condoms can help,the whole mentality that has to change.

Further to Julian Agius' comment, yes I do wonder why all girls were from Government Schools. Can somebody explain if Church/Private schools would enter under the same statistics, please?

Whilst I entirely disagree with the way Giov.De Martino has penned his words, there is an element of truth in what he says. Definitely, young teenagers need to be helped, and I have no objection to taxpayers' money going towards education and help in these cases. BUT....there has been an increasing amount of single mothers who are applying for financial benefits and government help (I'm not talking about young teenagers, here), and who are taking precedence over normal families and young couples preparing for marriage. They are advantaged when applying for G'ment housing and have priviledges that make it easier for them to just get pregnant while single rather than wait until married. This is obviously not fair on engaged couples who apply for similar housing. If we truly consider the Maltese family to be the foundation of our society, than normal engaged couples should get exactly the same treatment, without having to wait for these young mothers to get priority. After all, 'hadd m'hu ta' sebghu f'halqu' and irresponsible people must not be rewarded for their actions.

@ pauline ellul

What do you expect? Gieh ir-Repubblika for your feat?

What you are in effect conveying by your comment is that it is OK to get pregnant at 14 because they will take care of you and the father of your child will marry you and you will live happily ever after. Do you realise that you are probably the exception rather than the rule? That most fathers just abandon the girl and her baby? That even if they eventually marry, the chances are that it will not last?

That is why I disagree with rewarding irresponsible behaviour. It soon becomes accepted and the norm.

@ all those living in the dark. These girls are no victims. they choose to have sex at a young age. With the benefits they receive they buy designer clothes, attend parties, go to Paceville, buy cigarettes/alcohol, internet, mobile phones etc while their offsprings are taken care of by their parents. Unless no death or disability of 1 of the partners occurs there shouldn't be special benefits. Children's allowance is more than enough. We work and pay while they live relaxed off our backs. That's the reality and forget christianity. If all of you are christians how come sex before marriage seems ok now?

I'm afraid I agree with DeMartino on this one. I am all for giving these kids moral, educational and medical support. However financial help is percieved as a financial incentive by some (not all!) people. This is the situation here in the UK where being a full time single mum is seen as more profitable then getting a job. The fathers of these children should be made accountable otherwise we are just mollicoddling an unsustainable situation.

DNA tests are painless and would establish who it was that fathered these innocent offspring. There is also a case for these tests in order to establish whether the girls themselves are stil at risk where the pregnancy occurred through rape or incest. Or do they sweep these things under the carpet in Malta?

Not all fathers are capable of protecting their daughters from bullies and girls are equally at risk if they are promiscuous (or just precocious even). There are laws in place to protect children and these should be applied once paternity has been established. Surely these would be open-and-shut cases since there can be no kind of argument in defence. With multiple occurrances in particular schools, it also needs to be established whether one male has actually inseminated more than one minor.

In my opinion this article clearly shows that the government is not doing enough to nourish values in the younger generation. Does one stop to think that if a baby born out of wedlock is registered as having an 'unknown father' this is not right on the child? And obviously this increases the chances that eventually this baby when s/he becomes grown up, it will be much easier for her/him to do the same ie this would exponentially increase the 'unknown father' citizens in Malta. Is this right and fair on children?

Another point of concern are the gambling parlours which have sprouted all over Malta EVEN near to youth centres and band clubs - owing to the government financial incentives. Isn't this ridiculous? Now new legislation is being introduced ... now!

Why are we always bright after we make mistakes in our legislation or education?

Dan min holom li l-Maltin qed jitbieghdu mill-gheruq insara? Taraw kemm haw min ghadu jsegwi t-taghlim talKnisja? Min jaqra l-blogs jahseb li jekk tghid li int nisrani jidhqu bik. Imma le. Malta hawn hafna li ghadhom tal-Knisja. Jien le. Jien marridx inhallas ghall-izbali, kapricci u ksuhat ta' haddiehor. Fl-antik kien ikun zball u t-tfajla kienet tinheba. Mhux qed nghid sewwa jew le. Illum jiftahru li hargu tqal u tarhom jigru fil-pjazez jippuppaw zaqqhom.. Mela ha jgawdu huma.

...I was going to throw, not christianity, but humanity at you, but it seems that it's not possible either...

What a bunch of whitewashed tombs! Why are you all throwing Christianity at Mr DeMartino?

If anything you should be morally stoning these irresponsible and promiscuous schoolgirls (and boys) who are incapable of restraining their sexual urges or at least taking the necessary precautions.

One also wonders why proper sex education is not provided at these schools. I suppose that behind this policy, there are those who consider extra-marital sex to be bad but it becomes twice as damning if one uses a condom!

I object very much that my taxes are used for these unworthy causes. And don't throw Christianity at me because I don't consider myself as one.

I should think that it comes as no surprise that of the 28 girls only 3 come from Junior Lyceums. I imagine that even over the last years the pattern has been the same. Should we think that the solutions tried so far have been ineffective? Perhaps alerting parents in schools to these statistics, offering guidance and making them aware that in such circumstances they become liable to shoulder part of the financial situation could be part of the solution.

Is Ghozza also available to children who attend church/private schools? I wonder why we never get such statistics from non-state schools. Could it possibly be that it is only children attending state schools who engage themselves in sexual activity at a young age!? If we agree that all young mothers need help isn't it necessary for Ghozza to analyse why certain cases are not referred for help?

@giov de martino

14 years ago I was one of these girls and I attended to the school girls mother unit in Floriana.
They used to give us moral support, education and used to educate us how to take care of our babies. I thank them with all my heart although 14 years passed and now I'm happily married with the father of my 3 kids.
So please shut up and thank God that we have dedicated people like these in Malta.
I prefer that these school girls go to this unit and find support rather than find another solution and do an abortion to terminate the pregnancy.

Giovanni DeMartino, heaven awaits you.
Santo Subito.
Patron saint of the teenagers
Mother Theresa of Calcutta is nothing compared to you!

Anyone against proper sex education and perhaps the use of condoms?

Before everyone batters GdM for haviong posted 6 words, and of course while understanding that these kids cannot be left to fend for themselves, it is worth thinking about how the taxpayer's money is really being invested for the future.

Today's kids, who are being educated and assisted in so many ways thanks to our contributions, will one day have to contribute to our pensions.

I am ofted disgusted by the way a number of parents take absolutely no interest in their children's formal education, while these are also being paid childrens allowance.

Day after day, we keep hearing how economies will need to find new ways to finance 'free services' in the future - including health and education. Perhaps it is about time that incentives are introduced to ensure parents give all the due importance to their children's education before being paid allowances.

Kids that are pregnant at 13-15 y.o. won't be much help, but human society is built on solidarity, so there you go...

Finally - I did not hear of 28 men/boys getting arraigned in court for defiling these girls - whether consensual or not!

pregnant at 13..babies having babies

@ GiovDeMartino
How very Christian of someone that in his writings is like some modern crusader of the faith! Rather than throwing the stone one should try and come up with a solution without burning witches on the stake. If you are a real christian, Mr DeMartino your actions and especially your comments should be of a compassionate approach towards the problem.
We shall wait for you to illuminate us!

Easy way out for the taxpayer? Get the govt to request a DNA test. Then the fathers of these chldren will be the ones taking responsibility, at least (part) financially. A DNA test once will cost the govt/taxpayer much less .

No I do NOT want to pay for the mistakes of others. After all these are not mistakes. No I do not have christian values. Those who want to have fun, good luck to them, but then they should not expect others to may for their fun.

@GiovDeMartino

Are you suggesting we leave pregnant teenagers to fend for themselves? The majority of them are in the situation that they are in in the first place because they either come from a difficult social background, or because the sex education that they receive at school is sparse or non-existent.

Whilst programmes such as Ghozza offer much needed services, there is a desperate need for us to be more proactive rather than reactive. Prevention programmes need to be firmly in place.

@ DeMartino
Not everyone is perfect like you....some teenagers make mistakes. Your generosity (or lack of it ) never ceases to amaze me!

@ GiovDeMartino
I am a taxpayer. I have no problem with my money going towards these teenagers. I would be happier if there was no need because we had no preganant school girls. Prevention would be much better.

Would gladly have the government spend some of my tax to buy you a heart, Mr DeMartino!!

Mr Demartino
So in your opinion the state should not help preganant 13 to 15 year olds? Should we should stone them instead?

The state should have helped them not get preganant in the first place!
Have you not an inch of empathy for these girls and their unfortunate offsprings?
I bet you go to church on Sunday and profess to be a true Christian.

@ Giov -

And you consider yourself to have christian values?

Poor taxpayer?! You want to try living in Britain - that is the sort of culture where you are heading if you are not careful. Young girls/women purposefully get pregnant here as they know they will get their own place to live and financial assistance to get by along with their rent and council tax paid by us hard working people that struggle to pay our own bills, let alone feed other people and their children!

What kind of assistance? Financial? Poor taxpayer!!!!!!!!!!