Experts wary of changing law

Law enforcement, self-regulation and better parenting should be enough to tackle the problems associated with the alcohol-free teen parties that sparked controversy last week, according to various experts.

Attitudes are changing, even towards sexuality, where young people are much more open

Children’s Commissioner Helen D’Amato is considering going a step further: changing the law to prevent adults from attending these parties and mingling with vulnerable teens and pre-teens.

But this proposal may be too cumbersome to put into practice.

Albert Bell, head of the Department of Youth and Community Studies at the University of Malta, said the reaction to teen parties was similar to the moral panic surrounding so-called ‘sin parties’ in the 1990s.

“The end result of a moral panic is inevitably the reinforcement of this culture of control,” he said, appealing for caution before creating burdensome legislation to tackle the issue. Instead, laws should be enforced and party organisers or venue owners should act morally and responsibly through self-regulation.

He said these parties were symptomatic of society’s consumerist mentality, where even young people feel they must spend money and consume to have fun, rather than engage in more creative forms of leisure. This is being aggravated by a culture of exhibitionism resulting in skimpy outfits, pole-dancing and uploading all the photos onto Facebook.

“Attitudes are changing, even towards sexuality, where young people are much more open with their sexuality and sexual experimentation than we were when we were their age.”

He said the situation had to be studied in a balanced way and it must be kept in mind that these parties were offering a more controlled environment than some alternatives. Meanwhile, Philip Fenech, spokesman for the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprise – GRTU, warned that if adults were prevented from attending these parties, so would club owners, bar staff and event promoters, complicating matters further.

He argued that some issues – such as underage employment or indecent exposure – could be solved with better enforcement. But other aspects, such as whether 13-year-olds should mingle with 16-year-olds, were trickier.

There is nothing wrong with 15- to 17-year-olds having a dance “workout” in a place without alcohol, he says. But he also understands the concerns related to younger children or older adults joining in, since this could give rise to abuse.

“At that age every year makes a big difference,” he said.

Calling for an in-depth analysis into this matter, he warned that current laws were already somewhat flawed.

While under-17s are prevented from accessing bars and nightclubs which serve alcohol, they are permitted in other places such as restaurants, fast-food outlets, hotels and cinemas, where alcohol is also available.

A spokesman for Youth Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli said the police and the Children’s Commissioner should conclude their investigations before any other action was taken.

“It is pertinent to note, however, that the government, through the education system and the various agencies, delivers educational programmes aimed at prevention from abuse and support to children, adolescent and youths.”

Meanwhile, Labour family spokesman Justyne Caruana said the non-alcoholic teen parties were “in principle a very good idea” because youngsters needed space and had every right to party.

“But obviously this entertainment must be suitable, and appropriate for their age.”

Licence holders should be held to account by the competent authorities and the police must be present and vigilant to ensure children are protected and the law is enforced, she said, adding that in general enforcement is very poor.

“(But) parents are domestic authorities too and they also should ensure that they impart to their children self respect and respect for others in the way they dress and behave.”

Referring to underage dancers who were allegedly paid to frolic in lingerie costumes, Dr Caruana said it was unfortunate that these youngsters were enjoying the attention without understanding its ramifications.

She said children should be educated about self-respect to ensure they were not exploited and did not go overboard in the way they dressed or acted. Parents, schools and society all had a role to play.

“Fun and experimenting with fashion and being a bit rebellious are part of growing up, but paying children to dance exotically is not part of fun and fashion,” she said, adding that if the law was being broken, this must be dealt with.