An unflattering spotlight has been cast on “teen parties” after Facebook photos emerged of young girls, some aged 14, cavorting in matching lingerie, mimicking erotic dancers.

On their Facebook profiles, the girls claim they work as “dancers” with the I Love Music Events agency, though the lead promoter denies planning the racy shows or paying the girls.

The police and the Children’s Commissioner are both investigating the issue.

These parties are targeted at teenagers who cannot access other nightclubs due to their age because the law prevents under-17s from entering establishments that sell alcohol.

Enterprising 20-year-old Joel Caruana organises the events at clubs such as Numero Uno, which get a special licence for the night on condition that alcohol is banned. According to Mr Caruana, only soft drinks and energy drinks are sold at such events and Numero Uno owner Kevin Decesare confirms this, saying the kids are also strictly prevented from bringing alcohol with them.

But the images have sparked controversy on Facebook and a number of “disgusted” readers have alerted The Times to the “inappropriate, highly sexualised” images of the children, who, according to their Facebook profiles, are as young as 14. (Some of the photos have since been taken off the internet.)

Children’s Commissioner Helena D’Amato says her office has been alerted to the matter. “We are looking into the situation,” she said yesterday, unable to comment extensively.

When contacted, a police spokesman said the case was being investigated.

Mr Caruana defends his parties, saying the children have the right to dress as they like and denying that he organises erotic dances or pays any of the dancers.

He says the girls who list I Love Music Agency as their employer on Facebook do so to become part of the “crew” and promote the events to their friends.

“I Love Music Events does not employ any dancers... but, like in every place of entertainment, there are ‘boxes’ to which everyone has access.”

Referring to the way the girls were dressed, he said: “There is no law regulating or limiting the way the girls or boys who come to these parties dress. It is up to their parents.”

The past four events were held in summer and included a “foam area”, so many of the patrons wore their swimwear because they knew they would get wet, he adds, stressing that they had a right to dress as they wished.

When contacted, Mr Decesare said such children had nowhere else to go and such parties provided a “safe” environment that parents could trust because there was adequate security and no alcohol.

Before these parties, the children congregated on the outskirts of Paceville and Buġibba, he said, adding that his role was to ensure nobody was “drinking alcohol, fighting, having sex or being naked”.

Asked about the raunchy dancers, Mr Decesare said he was not aware of them but said that if they did not dress or dance in that way at his venues they would do so elsewhere.

To hold such a party, the organisers must apply for a licence with the Malta Tourism Authority, which exempts them from the law preventing under-17s from entering clubs, on condition that no alcohol is sold, displayed or consumed on the premises.

“Even if the owner of the nightclub is having a beer, he would be breaking the law,” an MTA spokesman said.

A fine of €230 per patron can be imposed if the law is broken. The police are responsible for enforcement.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.