Fighting the 'war on abuse'

Single mothers are making headlines, all for the wrong reasons. After years of just throwing money at social problems, the government has now declared "war on abuse". While many hope the government will walk the talk, experience makes us wary of such declarations. This is not the Malta we know; the land of pardons and nepotism.

The government needs to act to contain the fiscal deficit. The EU is breathing down its neck. It is hard to raise taxes and it is not the right time to sell any of the few assets left. What is surprising is that the 2010 pre-budget document mentions nothing about single mothers. The matter was recently raised by the Minister of Finance. There was a lot of furore. The minister felt obliged to clarify that his declaration of war was against abuse and not single mothers. He explained that, over the last three years, about 1,000 social benefits were suspended and this saved the taxpayer €10.4 million. The government is treading on highly sensitive ground. The intention may be good but the road to hell is full of good intentions.

There is little doubt that our welfare system needs to be overhauled. Cost-cutting and the control of abuse are highly desirable but the primary drivers of reform should be effectiveness and sustainability. A proper needs-analysis is required before action is taken. Benefits handed out to single mothers are only a small part of the problem. Also, while it is easy to cut social benefits it is not so easy to implement supporting measures such as opening child-care centres and providing decently paid jobs.

Single mothers are not just adolescents who have children outside wedlock. The category includes widowers and those whose marriage failed and are either separated or divorced. Presently, there are 2,160 single mothers on state relief. They account for 2.6 per cent of all households and cost the taxpayer an average €3,700 each. Maltese single mothers are predominantly teenagers with a primary education. In more affluent societies, the majority of single mothers are more mature (generally in their late 20s to mid-30s), better educated and have a good job. They choose single motherhood because they face few social taboos, feel economically independent and have little trust in marriage. Lone parent families (which include single fathers) account for eight per cent, nine per cent and 14 per cent of all families in the UK, the US and Australia respectively.

If these figures are anything to go by, local numbers can be expected to grow, especially should Malta ever introduce divorce. The issues facing single mothers are not just economic. Our society may no longer dishonour single mothers, but it barely tolerates them. While there is always a risk of generalising or over-simplifying complex social issues, it can be said that unmarried single mothers are often victims of a lack of proper education and increased sexual libertinism. Fortunately, these days more parents are willing, and able, to stand behind their children in such circumstances.

Some single mothers get pregnant by choice rather than chance. For them motherhood is an escape from the dreariness of factory (and similar) work. They hate waking up early, toiling for a pittance, paying for transport and lunch and having NI contributions deducted. They reason that they are better off getting pregnant and receiving €95 weekly (plus children and supplementary allowances) from the state. The more children they have, the more allowances they get. This is simply absurd. Quite a few of them have unreasonable expectations, especially when it comes to government housing. These single mothers find themselves in the poverty trap, totally dependent on the government for their livelihood.

Then there are single mothers who are not single at all. They choose to declare "father unknown" simply for the money. There is little harm on declaring war on all such offenders. The tragedy is that many of them think it "natural" to cheat the government. They argue that everyone is, in some way or other, doing it. They consider themselves to be small fish nibbling trivial amounts of the infinite resources available to the government. This mentality is a remnant of colonial times and reinforced by successive governments competing for votes.

Many of our single mothers need help and not financial hand-outs. They long for the chance to lead a normal life. They hate being treated as parasites. They wish that their children be given equal opportunities. It is the duty of the government, assisted by civil society, to come up with innovative solutions as to how best to further integrate single mothers into our society. They should be offered all the necessary training, support and incentives to take up full-time employment. The government however has to be careful not to be seen as unduly rewarding single mothers to the detriment of other citizens.

Social cohesion is a primary goal of the 2010 budget. In the present difficult economic scenario, the government should ensure that our welfare net is not unduly weakened. It should beware that its "war on abuse" does not degenerate into a "war on the weak".