An average of 57 abortions a year were carried out on Maltese women in England and Wales in the past 10 years, a new publication issued by the National Office of Statistics shows.

The highest number, 69, were carried out in 2002 and 2007. The number of abortions dropped to 38 in 2008, the lowest number since at least 1990.

There are no figures for abortions on Maltese women carried out in other countries.

The NSO publication covers data up to 2008 and follows up on a similar publication issued eight years ago.

DROP IN POPULATION OF CHILDREN

It shows that although the population is increasing, there was a drop in the population of children (people under the age of 18). Since 1957 this went down by 41 per cent.

The crude birth rate dropped from 33 births per 1,000 in 1931 to nine in 2008. There was also a decrease in births since 1940, but the trend was reversed in 2008 with an increase of 185 births over 2007. The fertility rate went down from 3.5 in 1960 to 1.4 in 2008.

The number of births outside marriage shot up from 289 in 1996 to more than a 1,000 in 2008. 34 per cent of the births outside marriage in 2008 were to an ‘unknown’ father, the lowest percentage since 1996, when there were 59.9 per cent of ‘unknown’ fathers.

There was also an increase in the number of mothers under the age of 20.

The publication shows that 2008 saw an increase in mothers under 15 compared to 1999, 2002 and 2005.

There was a drastic drop in child deaths from 1,530 in 1948 – 1530 to 46 in 2008. The mortality rate remained higher among boys.

The highest number of stillbirths since 1987 were in 1988 and 1989. The lowest number was 10 in 2005 but in 2008 they went up by 17 over the previous year.

61% PASS JL EXAMINATION

When it came to education, the publication shows that in 2008 there was a drop in the number of students sitting for the Common Entrance Examination.

A total 61 per cent of those who sat for the Junior Lyceum examinations passed with the most successful, 81 per cent, being students from non-state primary schools.

The number of children registering for SEC examinations increased by 2,601 in 2008, when compared to 1994. Highest number of registrations was for English followed by mathematics and Maltese.

Even the number of those applying for the Matriculation certificate increased. But the success rate dropped by 12 percentage points since 1997.

The most popular subjects at advanced level Matriculation were pure maths, biology and physics followed by English.

CARE ORDERS, FOSTERING, ADOPTIONS

The publication shows that there were 191 children in residential homes in 2008, a drop from the 225 in 2007.

There was an annual increase in the number of care orders but these dropped in 2007. A third of the orders were issued for children whose parents had a mental health problem. The second reason was physical abuse and third neglect. Six per cent of care orders were issued because of sexual abuse. Over a fourth of cases were aged between 10 and 12.

Although the number of fostered children increased gradually between 1998 and 2005, the number dropped to 160 in 2008. More boys than girls are fostered.

An average of 71 adoptions were carried out every year between 2004 and 2008. The average in the previous five years was 49.

CHILD ASYLUM SEEKERS

Although the number of applications for asylum for children dropped in 2007 when compared to the previous they, the number almost doubled to 305 in 2008. A total 98 per cent of applicants come from Africa.

At end of 2008 there were 108 children living in open centres with the largest group hailing from Somalia. Most of them were boys.

CHILD HEALTH

The NSO publication also features child health and shows that there was a constant fluctuation in the number of childhood cancers between 1993 and 2007. There was an average of 13 cases per year with leukaemia being the most common.

In 2007, 51 per cent of households with children lived in flats or apartments. 2,160 families with children said they did not afford to buy a computer and 18 per cent of children in 2007 were at risk of poverty. Most at risk were those living in single parent households with one or more dependent children.

More than eight million euros worth of toys and games, excluding video games, were imported in 2008, a drop of 19 per cent compared to 2004.

The number of child abuse cases reported to Appogg went down between 2006 and 2008. In 2008, 29 per cent of cases revolved around physical abuse, 20 per cent sexual abuse, 17 per cent neglect and 27 per cent were at risk. Abuse by parents was the most frequent.

Between 2005 and 2008, an annual average of 23 children aged between 14 and 18 made use of the Detox Outpatients Centre. An average of 20 used the In-patients Centre. In 2008 the rehabilitation programmes run by Sedqa and Caritas hosted 52 of children aged between 14 and 18, amounting to seven per cent of the people in programmes.

In 2008 the police received 49 reports of sexual offences on minors. Almost half were between aged between 15 and 17. The highest number of reported sexual offences on minors between 2002 and 2008 was in 2003 when 68 reports were made.

Between 2001 and 2008, there was an average of 30 annual cases of physical abuse on minors. 46 per cent were on children aged between 10 and 14. Physical abuse on girls was more common.

In 2007, the courts referred 61 cases to probation services. This number dropped to 38 in 2008. Nearly half of these cases involved theft.

NAMES

When it came to babies names, the most popular in 2008 were Matthew followed by Luke for boys and Maria, followed by Eliza, for girls.