Ex-parliamentary secretary to be named Children's Commissioner

Former Parliamentary Secretary Helen D'Amato will succeed Carmen Zammit as Children's Commissioner.

"The government has decided to appoint Mrs D'Amato as Commissioner for Children. A meeting of the Social Affairs Committee is scheduled for next week to discuss the matter," a spokesman for the ministry responsible for family affairs said.

When contacted, Mrs D'Amato refused to comment, saying it was still too early. "I have not yet been appointed. The process is still open," she said, referring to the discussion that has to take place in the House committee. "My name has been put forward and, of course, I'm very interested in this role."

Mrs D'Amato was chairman of the Social Affairs Committee for six years until 2004 when she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly. She failed to get elected in the last general election.

Mrs Zammit's three-year term expired in April. During a news conference yesterday, Mrs Zammit gave an overview of the past three years. "For a long while I was alone in the office as the only two full-time employees I had left on the same day, soon after I started."

But the situation improved and now Mrs Zammit has seven people working full time and two working part time.

She noted that a national policy for children in care was lacking. A two-year study launched by her office on children in care should be ready by the end of the year.

Mrs Zammit also referred to the lack of a sex offenders' register. "Although work has been done by the ministry, there still isn't a way to check who works with children."

Turning to smacking and the beating of children, Mrs Zammit said the law had to change but added that this would take time. "It should be totally prohibited but a lot of work is needed to change the law, let alone people's mentality."

Mrs Zammit insisted that the Maltese truly loved their children but needed to improve the way they treated them. "People don't understand that children have a lot to contribute. We need to work on that."