‘Toothless Children Commissioner’s office conspicuous by its absence’

The Children Commissioner’s office came under fire for being “conspicuous by its absence” and having “no teeth” at a seminar organised by a Labour Party think-tank.

Many children’s institutions had “deficiencies”, said Joe Gerada, former CEO of the Social Welfare Foundation, but the Children Commissioner’s office was the “most worrying” and its absence was glaringly obvious.

Mr Gerada was speaking from the floor in his personal capacity and as a member of the board of Dar Suret il-Bniedem, which caters for the homeless.

He was backed by Labour MP Justyne Caruana who could not understand why it took so long for the Children’s Commissioner to draw up reports, which could be done with minimal resources.

Another Labour MP, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, wondered when the resources available to the Children’s Commissioner would finally be increased, adding that its recommendations and reports remained on the shelf and that it needed a legal basis. It was important for the office to have a more active role so that children would no longer be “disappointed” by the expectations it raised.

The MPs were reacting to comments by a representative of the Children’s Commissioner’s office to justify her absence at the seminar held earlier this week by Ideat Foundation.

The representative pointed to the dearth of resources, which meant the office could not be at the forefront of every child-related issue.

The seminar on children at risk of poverty painted a bleak picture, highlighting that, over the last 11 years, the number of children in this category grew instead of shrinking, up from 20 per cent to 21 per cent.

Beyond economic poverty, the seminar also honed on emotional and social deficiencies of Maltese children, with issues like bullying and illiteracy, which also fall under the definition of poverty.

Dr Caruana said emotional poverty was “so deep-seated it risked becoming generational”. The next generation had the potential of being worse off, she warned.

Foster care was also questioned at the seminar and the need for its “serious evaluation” highlighted. It was not leaving the desired effects, with some families facing major problems and having negative experiences, which were leading others to fear fostering and to give up.

The number of foster carers was not growing and this was a result of fear, not lack of generosity, it was concluded. The burden on them was considered too big and needed to be alleviated.

A foster father from the floor called for the government’s commitment to the cause over and above the obligations of the families themselves. He said some educators did not even know exactly what foster care meant and the children were left to feel like second-class citizens.

Pointing out some of the problems families faced, he said permission was required from the biological parent even to apply for a passport, something he considered “humiliating”.

The need for a Children’s Act – legislation that specifically addresses their needs – was also highlighted and considered to be long overdue.

On the Family Court, it was pointed out that the voice of the child was not being heard and that it was time to appoint a guardian for children to safeguard their rights, in addition to the children’s lawyers, who were not enough, anyway.

During the seminar, which was also addressed by Labour MP Carmelo Abela and Ideat think-tank chairman Aaron Farrugia, the importance of research was highlighted both from the panel and the floor. It must not be left on the shelf and concrete programmes should be based on any findings.