31 schoolgirl pregnancies last year
File picture.
There were 31 cases of pregnancies involving girls aged up to 16 last year, the House Family Affairs Committee heard this evening.
There was one case in the past few years where a school girl got pregnant at 13 and again at 15.
The statistics were given by Micheline Sciberras, director in the education services directorate, and Sandra Cortis, service manager.
Dr Sciberras said there were 74 teenage pregnancies (up to 16 years old) in 2008, 43 in 2009, 47 in 2010, 31 last year and 27 so far this year. The numbers then rose in the 16-19 age bracket.
The committee was discussing teenage pregnancies.
Dr Sciberras said the number of teenage mothers who opted to continue their studies was low, most girls opting to leave school as soon as their pregnancy became apparent. However there were some cases where a few girls returns to the classroom and even continued post-secondary education.
The authorities, she explained offered services to prevent schoolgirls from getting pregnant and also offered support to them and their parents should pregnancies take place. Assistance and encouragement were also offered to the fathers where possible, although such relationships often did not last long.
Education, she explained, went beyond the academic and was more holistic, including the sexual dimension. Over the past five years substantial investment had been made in student support services including youth workers and specialists in various sectors such as behaviour.
The girls were helped not only to take care of themselves and their babies, but also self-empowerment so that, as far as possible, they were not dependant on social services.
Replying to a question by committee president Jean-Pierre Farrugia (PN), Dr Sciberras said quite a number of schoolgirls were sexually active. Counsellors sought to help them as far as possible, mindful, however, that the young teenagers were at different stages of development.
It was hoped that services would become more personalised in the future.
She also said that character formation in its various aspects including relationship education, self-esteem and assertiveness needed to be given greater emphasis at school, with many of the girls saying they had been unable to say 'no' to their boyfriends.
Charlo Bonnici (PN) said emphasis also needed to be placed on responsibility.
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81 Comments
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Karl Consiglio
Oct 11th 2012, 13:33
The age at which a woman can get pregnant was there before man came up with the term "Schoolgirl". Nature always wins.
John Azzopoardi
Oct 11th 2012, 03:22
If they want to make babies. let them, but don't expect the nation to support your mistakes.
Giov DeMartino
Oct 11th 2012, 18:44
Mr Azzoppardi is perfectly right. The poor taxpayer has been sponsoring these so called single mothers for many, many years. I know several of these mothers whose partners have good jobs, the mothers themselves have a full/part time job and yet they receive a handsome allowance for every baby they have. This besides several other benefits: no surcharge, subsidized rents, flats.
danielle sykes
Oct 10th 2012, 16:51
your all going on about abortion being heartbreaking, well so is believeing a man loves you and the baby your expecting, but then :- baby is born woman is tired, not wanting sex, attention is taken up by baby, man and women argue, lady starts to wonder what life would be like if she not had baby, man then leaves, women left holding the baby! yet another single parent family!!
Rocco Camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 14:55
Veru kollox ghan nizla u dan kollu ghax spiccat il-misthija u l-valuri. Tant spiccat il-misthija li xi kultant tkun f'xi post pubbliku u tara atti li gib ghajnejk wara widnejk, ahseb wara it-tfal x'jghamlu. Kollox sar xejn mhu xejn sa' anke quddiem pulizija saru jsiru dawn u hadd ma' jitkellem. Dak li tizra tiehu jghidu u hekk hu. X'ma jkunx hawn stress meta t-tfal qed jghabbu lil genituri bi tfal
Angelo Modestini Langione
Oct 10th 2012, 12:20
yes I am an Italian And Proud to be Italian. I have spend all my teen age years in British Boarding Schools, were sex education was a big thing. And i have learn do look after my self. And i don't believe that parents authority have nothing to do with this issues in hand. The real Problem is that the Generation after 1994 have no more restriction everything is permitted. The only way that is possible to get close to them. is Education. And not by a poring young lecture. But maybe by a men and a female on there 20s. Like this the youth can related to them.
I am fully aware that italy is not the best example. But lots of the teen age pregnancy go t tackle thanks to the abortions laws. Use of the pills. And the back way of the Church. Something that in malta still in the 21st century prevents you to progress socially. I say this with all the respect of malta and the maltese people.
Joseph Aquilina
Oct 10th 2012, 14:27
"abortions laws" does not tackle the problem, indeed it is the other way round; society accepting it cannot solve the problem through education therefore giving tools how to hide the problem.
Maria Camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 11:40
Girl hormones at 13 go haywire. They flirt, look for the company of boys... sometimes older men. They engage into sexual activity, very willingly at times. So it is not always a case of rape... or peer pressure.
True, most girls KNOW that engaging in unprotected sexual activity puts them at risk of falling pregnant however most think 'it won't happen to them', others are lead to believe that the 'withdrawal method' is a perfectly good method of contraception. These girls need to be educated, that YES it can happen to them, but it needs to be done in a friendly manner. Scaring them won't help, and asking them to abstain won't work either.
I won't ask where were the parents of these young women. It is not my place to judge. But perhaps a joint effort between parents and schools needs to be done.
S.M. Cuschieri
Oct 10th 2012, 12:13
I understand what you are trying to say, but you say hormones at 13 go haywire...Why is it then that MY hormones at 13 did not go haywire? I was still playing hop, skip and jump with my hair in pigtails at that age. And I am not ancient...LOLOL!! This was in the eighties. I think that todays kids ghandhom xeba hajm u n**k!! hey are rude and arrogant and look way older than their years. Childhood has been lost.
Amante Reale
Oct 10th 2012, 12:40
> They flirt, look for the company of boys... sometimes older men.
> So it is not always a case of rape
This is still statutory rape. Get your facts straight.
paul camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 13:27
here we go again peer pressure how i hate that word how can it be peer pressure when ones peers are both at work!!!!
what needs to be done is for parents to start noticing their kids and if they dont know how thenseek advice and help todays kids are for the most of them spoilt brats. a good spanking would do a world of good to them
Giov DeMartino
Oct 10th 2012, 11:37
And there are some who declare that Malta is a backward country living in the Middle Ages!
Amante Reale
Oct 10th 2012, 12:41
It is. Other countries don't have the same stigma around the pill, for example, they get proper sex education, and have the possibility of abortion.
So... yes... Malta is a backward country living in the Middle Ages.
Giov DeMartino
Oct 10th 2012, 15:44
"MR Reale. Of course we ARE backward. Murder is still illegal.....so far.
Angelo Modestini Langione
Oct 10th 2012, 11:17
In order to sold this problem malta society will need to :
1) Sex Education from an early age from middle high school.
2) Distribution of free condoms
3) Legalized abortion rights and birth control pill ( Malta is the last country in the Europe Union that don't allows abortions and the use of the pill
4) And prevention, prevention is the key things. Sex is fun. Is part of our human nature. by knowing the risk people will look after them selfs.
E Bonnici
Oct 10th 2012, 11:34
Point 1 - I agree.
Point 2 - I agree.
Point 3 - I disagree - Let's have sex and then abort!!
Point 4 - I agree - but don't you think that our kids do not know that if you play with fire you'll get burnt one day?
What's missing nowadays is one thing. DISCIPLINE at home! Kids are no longer afraid of their parents as we used to be when young, regarding our parents (our father especially) almost with reverence.
Today kids treat their parents as their equal and some of them even as their inferiors!
This is the problem and not the lack of education cause today kids will teach you themselves. The lack of respect towards their superiors.
Giov DeMartino
Oct 10th 2012, 11:50
Are you Italian, Sig. Langione? That's why Italy in such a deep mess. In all senses.
D. Tanti
Oct 10th 2012, 11:55
Legalized abortion??!!! Int bis-serjeta Mr Langione?! Qatt kellek tfal?! Taf x'miraklu hu??...ta 6 weeks pregnant (i.e. wara xi gimgha li tinduna!) tisma' l-heartbeat!!!! U int trid twaqqafha??!
Ikollok kwarta cans ara dan il-video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXVUlS0kyw8
Jekk koppja ħasbu li kienu kbar biżżejjed għal relazzjoni sesswali, mela mbagħad jerfgħu r-responsabilta kollha!! Għallinqas jagħtuhom għall-adoption jekk ma jkunux iridu t-tfal...mhux abort!!
Alan Deidun
Oct 10th 2012, 12:02
yeah right - have fun (sex) since you can always abort your responsibilities later by have a 'safe' abortion....'safe' for whom? ...for the unborn? Is this the wisdom from other countries we wish to emulate by using the cliche of Malta being the last country not to toe the line, so effectively used during the divorce campaign? Does the promotion of promiscuity, coupled with abortion, really mitigate the teenage pregnancies phenomenon?
S.M. Cuschieri
Oct 10th 2012, 12:19
Mr. Langione, please stop commenting about our country and go and preach in yours.....We do not want abortion here, all that we want is more education regarding sexual promiscuity. We do not want to offer abortion on a plate. Aboriton is the most heart breaking thing one can opt to do. Granted ,that maltese girls have gone abroad to get rid of an unwanted baby but it will be so much easier if its ontheir doorstep. Leave our country and people alone will you?? Italians are well known for their flirtatious nature, fools are those who believe it......!!!!
Amante Reale
Oct 10th 2012, 12:42
Agreed on all counts.
twanny borg
Oct 10th 2012, 10:58
mill-hafna kummenti hafna qed jghixu fis-shab.
Dennis Quaid
Oct 10th 2012, 10:52
31 cases last year? Are you serious to make that a big topic? 31 cases does not sound a big number to me. What would make that in per percentage of all girls between 12 and 16? Where are we with that compared to other countries in Europe? I guess Malta is not over and above average.
I assuming that the rate of under 16 year old mothers in UK is much much higher.
Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)
Oct 10th 2012, 10:49
Could this be a good time for the education system to introduce "Virtual Babies" to the schools? Girls could take these home and experience the unpleasant side of parenting, like feeling exhausted because of having to tend to 'baby's' needs during the night. It may even help the potential 'grandparents' that it is no joke if their teenage daughter gets pregnant.
I am not intending to let boys off the hook here because they can be made to look after a 'virtual' as well, if their behaviour warrants it.
My observation however is that boys are looking more for the company of other boys nowadays, probably because they have more common interests like football and beer, for example. This makes me think that girls are feeling neglected by them and instead of finding someone with common interests, they start pampering the boys (e.g. buying them drinks etc) in the hope of making them feel important.
COME OFF IT GIRLS! If you chase after the boys, you are letting yourselves down. They will simply eat the meat and push the rest of the platter away, leaving you to do the washing-up.
M T Mizzi
Oct 10th 2012, 10:27
Everyone seems to forget a very important and serious issue here. These are under age girls, which makes them minors. It is illegal to have sex with a minor! Which concludes that whoever had sex with them has committed a crime and should be considered as a sex offender/predator. Especially if the men involved are of age or much older. I want to see theses 31 boys or men prosecuted under the law. Malta wake up!!
Mr Joe Camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 11:35
As they say "it takes two to tango".
So since these were not rape cases, shouldn't these under age girls also be prosecuted for breaking the law ???
Lino Maniscalco
Oct 10th 2012, 12:09
One has to threat every case on it's own. If the girl had sex with an adult is one case and the adult should assume full responsibility even if there was flirting from the girl herself but if things happen between an underage couple who are still immature. Should these be considered as criminals?? Are they responsible for their acts? Or as they are underage, their parents have to assume the responsibility. For sure this is like leaving a gun in a child's hands, the consequences are very bad, they ruin their lives and their families and become a burden on the tax payer. In my opinion the social securities should not be paid to anyone having committed irresponsible acts.
Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)
Oct 10th 2012, 13:08
@ Joe Camilleri: At the age of 13 and even beyond, it is statutory rape, sir.
Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)
Oct 10th 2012, 10:24
Are young girls being taught about HPV? More importantly, are they being inculated against it?
It is no secret that girls who have sex at a tender age are the most likely to end up with cervical cancer through HPV.
Mike Hunt
Oct 10th 2012, 11:56
inculated?
Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)
Oct 10th 2012, 13:01
OOPS! Sorry... that was supposed to be "inoculated". My apologies, sir and thank you for pointing it out.
Joseph Vassallo, (Bugibba)
Oct 10th 2012, 10:13
If the political will exists to prosecute these child rapists, the indisputable proof is there to be collected... from the infant's DNA. I think this can be done post-partum even without permission from the placenta or afterbirth.
But let's not forget that the age of consent is too high for the era we are living in and this creates more antagonism and curiosity. It is pretty much like giving a child a bicycle and telling it not to ride it until the age of eighteen... so to speak.
M. Spiteri
Oct 10th 2012, 10:11
Cut the welfare benefits for the single mothers (only for the means tested and genuine cases) and you see those 31 will become single digit numbers in a few yrs
Joseph Camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 09:34
The situation is a very serious one. It is no secret that some of the youngsters themselves are even encouraged by their parents for early pregnancy. This is so serious that even governments are finding it hard to draw a line.
these young girls are being subjected to a very distorted form of morality and proper values. They are very immature and as some contributers below have already commented , this has to be borne by the tax payer whether they like it or not. There are even cases who go further , mothers with 4 -5 children all with different fathers and different family names.
The Government should not subsidise this modern form of legal prostitution. People should be made aware to avoid such mistakes and should bear the responsibility not lumping it on the good taxpayer who has done nothing. We are being penalised for a deed which we never did , with the horrific thought , that a huge percentage of these unfortunate infants grow up without any morals values or scruples and they are the same one which will attack us in our homes when we are too old to defend ourselves.
Tom Poyntz
Oct 10th 2012, 09:06
This is why secondary schools should be mixed. Sex education should be conducted at a younger age to get them aware. Really its just ill educated people plebs!!!!!
Lino Maniscalco
Oct 10th 2012, 08:53
Let's face the truth. First of all nowadays children have lost their childhood as from a very young age they are sent to school and start stressing them at a very young age. They spend most of their time on computer and when they grow up in their early teens, start exploring the internet where they exposure to sex websites. Between the age of 13 and 20 it's the role of the parents who have to monitor their children, educate them and inform them of certain risks and awareness in life. At this age teenagers tend to experiment. Especially until the age of 18, parents should control their children and see who their friends are where they go after all they are still under their responsibility. Parents must be aware that their children are informed according to their age and control and inform them whilst growing up to help them form a strong character and have self control. Many people blame the school education and the state but educations begins at home.
Robert Mifsud
Oct 10th 2012, 10:29
Well said.
I know several teachers who cannot punish a student because their parents come and yell at the teachers because they took a corrective action against the behaviour of the children.
Mario Vella
Oct 10th 2012, 08:45
Min ha jmantnijhom dawn it-tfal ---!!! jien u int !!! 99 fil mijja ma jafux minhu il-missier ghax dik hija il moda tal-lum...
Peter Shaw
Oct 10th 2012, 09:12
Ezatt!! Hekk sew.Jiena responsabbli hajti kollha u dawn jiggerrew ma dak u liehor u noqod inhallas ghalihom!!
Mike Hunt
Oct 10th 2012, 09:14
So quick to judge ...
Ronnie Callus
Oct 10th 2012, 08:40
Mela hekk sewwa tfal irrabbu t-tfal. Jew genituri jrabbu tfal ta' tfal. U dan kif jispiccaw fil-maggoranza umknown father ? mela dawn qed jigu r-repjati . Din x'generazzjoni se' jkollna l-quddiem ? Zaghzagh jizzewwgu u ma' jkunux jafu minnhu missierhom ? Jekk mhux se' jkollna piena horox ghall dawn l-abbuzi s-socjeta se' tibqa sejra mill hazin ghall aghar. Mela allura dan it-taghliem kollu qed nispiccaw biex nghamlu aktar tfal bl- unknown father u wisq aktar fost zaghzagh (tfajliet) ta' eta zghira. Jien ukoll ma' naqbilx ma' dawk il-genituri li qed jippermettu li tfajliet jew guvintur taghhom jorqdu ghand xulxin, ghax dan iffisser li qed intuhom tolleranza zejda. Hemm bzonn isir xi haga mill-aktar fiss. Spiccaw il-valuri u l-morali u spicca kollox. U min qed ibghati ? ahna stess is-socjeta li nghidu moderna.
Lino Maniscalco
Oct 10th 2012, 09:03
L-awtoratitajiet ghandom isegwu lil dawk in-nisa jew tfajliet li jidikjaraw unkown father u jaraw min jiffrekwenthom halli jsiru it-testijiet tad-DNA u jekk jinstab il-missier dawn jigu sospizi mil ghajnuna sociali ghax dawn ged jaghmlu hekk apposta biex jiehdu il-flus mis-sigurta socjali jigifieri mit-taxxi taghna. Kullhad jaf inklusi l-awtoratitajiet li il-veru kazzi tal unknown fathers huma ftit hafna.
vella m
Oct 10th 2012, 08:30
Start distributing condoms and the pill for free at schools,that should do the trick.
Peter Bonello
Oct 10th 2012, 09:02
no that will encourage casual sex... the idea is to educate children that sex is not just for pleasure but has its responsibility and one should be mature enough to be able to handle those responsibilities! If they just want to have fun they should get a playstation or something!
Sarah Grech (Zebbug)
Oct 10th 2012, 09:16
Wouldn't that be an encouragement to more and more sex at a young age? Sometimes human beings need to err and learn from their mistakes.
I get worried when I read about second made mistakes, just like the one in this article. Pregnanat at 13 and again at 15. That's where the failure is....the failure of learning from one's mistakes.
E Schembri
Oct 10th 2012, 09:28
No, simply stop social benefits and have the father assume responsibility.
If the father is truly unknown, then have the mother identify the partners she slept with and use DNA testing to positively confirm.
As long as the state continues to coughs up benefits for other peoples mistakes, no one will ever learn how to assume responsibility and this phenomena will continue to happen.
John Sacco
Oct 10th 2012, 11:36
well said mr vella ..... So many christians commenting here .... A lot of people talking like they know every individual case underage sex happened before is happening now and will happen in future , better preventing a pregnancy then to tell not to do it , who ever got a car and waited to use it anyway ?
John Sacco
Oct 10th 2012, 11:56
well said mr vella ..... So many christians commenting here .... A lot of people talking like they know every individual case underage sex happened before is happening now and will happen in future , better preventing a pregnancy then to tell not to do it , who ever got a car and waited to use it anyway ?
paul camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 08:23
girls today need to be shown the hard life of a mother raising a baby including child birth and all the hardships of raising the baby without any help because the father of the baby sure is going to do a runner afterwards.
also girls during or after school lessons should have a seminar where other teen mothers can tell their stories of hardships while being pregnant and also raising the baby.
could all this crime /abuse of drugs and child pregnancy be coming from the fact that most kids today are alone at home because both parents are out working???? and the idea of having a baby gives them a sense that they are wanted?????????
Ronnie Callus
Oct 10th 2012, 08:56
Most probably it's the last phrases which are contributing to this. To-day you find children at primary level talking about sex, and to make it more worse sometimes you hear parents telling their youngster ( year 6's) telling them that he or she is your boy friend / girl friend or better 'L-gharus jew l-gharrusa' . Parents are making children grow adults before time by their wording and even by their clothing.
MARITA MICALLEF
Oct 10th 2012, 09:35
you are right where is the hot plate that we use to find on the table after school and mother sitting down near us doing the home work ?
when i see that commercial nista i am disgusted because in it they do not make one (nista ) can i as mother choose to stay at home and take care of my children myself instead of pulling them by the hand and taking them from school to child care maybe to granny if still alive or leavening them alone at home. I say no because nobody can afford that the mother stays at home with the minimum wage
Yes i believe that the problem is because of the kids staying at home alone at a small age after school with the liberty to do,,go and see what ever they want, no religious values left and the society is going to ruins
paul camilleri
Oct 10th 2012, 10:31
@ Ms Micaleff
while i do wish to agree with you, but may i ask how many cars you have? that alone cost you a pretty packet every year in insurance and license, also do you have 1 or 2 bathrooms and perhaps you do your hair 2 times a month and a facial every month and maybe air conditions in every bed room and perhaps 2 or 3 tv sets and maybe a holiday or two a year. no wonder the minimum wage is not enough
this is the problem everyone wants to live the life of luxury
MARITA MICALLEF
Oct 11th 2012, 10:00
mr camilleri i think you are the one living in this luxury because as i am a mother of three and for your information i only have one car and i only use it to go to work i do not do my hair twice a week and facial once a month and i only have one bathroom and i do not have air condition in every room and i live in a small flat and i only have a ten year old tv set which is not working
C Calafato
Oct 10th 2012, 08:20
Where are the parents of these girls? Education should start at home and we should not blame the education but parents for what is happening.
MARITA MICALLEF
Oct 10th 2012, 09:42
Maybe working trying to earn money to feed them .
Michael Schembri
Oct 10th 2012, 07:31
IS TODAY'S SEX EDUCATION AT SCHOOL BEING A PHYSICAL ONE? :-)
Andrew Busuttil
Oct 10th 2012, 07:56
When schools remove sex education from the classroom... it shifts it to the bathroom!
J Degabriele
Oct 10th 2012, 08:51
Let's not put the onus on the schools. They do their best in special lessons. But the kids don't really care. It's an adventure. The sense of shame is no more. Many (not all thank God) are all out for what thy can get, if every sense!
E Schembri
Oct 10th 2012, 09:37
It is not sex education that they need, it is responsibility that they must be thought.
In our days, teachers are no longer allowed to discipline their students, it is a taboo for parents to punish their children and criminals get off the hook with a suspended sentence.
We live in a society where no one is accountable for their actions, everyone can just mess up an expect the state to cover up their actions, starting from political figures and ending up with the criminals.
Everyone speaks about their rights, but no one wants to speak of their responsibility, and this is the result of a society who has shed its responsibility and accountability.
In this case, modernization is our enemy and we have gone from one extreme to the other.
Josephine Muscat
Oct 10th 2012, 06:23
It's called rape at that age! Do the police take action if requested to only in such cases or can they proceed since the age factor is 13. Roh probably the girl would state she does not know who the father is?
Andrew Busuttil
Oct 10th 2012, 07:53
Of course... very convenient...
Who can ever prosecute an unknown father?
They nearly make it sound like they were knocked up by a ghost or some nameless guy who climbed up the balcony, did his job, and disappeared thereafter, leaving no traces. lol
Peter Bonello
Oct 10th 2012, 09:05
most of the times the boys are roughly the same age... can that also be called rape? have you ever been to pv recently? There are young ladies, in their 14-15 in micro skirts flirting around everywhere... a man with good sense and good moralities would be able to turn them away but not all. Although I still believe thats cannot (or shouldn't) be considered rape!!
M T Mizzi
Oct 10th 2012, 10:40
@ peter bonello. boys of same age should be prosecuted under the juvenile court. Yes in the States it is considered rape, and it serves them good so that the boys should think twice. Because everyone is blaming mostly the girls. Like you I don't agree with this fashion of today either, but just because someone is wearing a short skirt it doesn't mean that is looking for sex. Its like going to the beach and everyone is wearing the smallest bikini, it doesn't mean they are looking for sex.
C. Bonnici
Oct 10th 2012, 04:01
In my opinion, 31 is just right to form 1 class!
Joseph Bajada
Oct 10th 2012, 08:38
This is not such a bad thing to have them all attend the one class -you should read about a school in NSW Australia -Plumpton High and see how they treated the problem of school girl getting pregnant.... very interesting reading.
Albert Mifsud
Oct 10th 2012, 01:38
Makes the case for legalising abortion, even if there is an increased risk of more teenage pregnancies, each one of which is a tragedy to the mum.
Cari A. M
Oct 10th 2012, 08:24
Seriously!!! They shouldn't have had unprotected sex in the first place.
What kind of mentality are you sporting?
Any teenage girl knows that if she has sex there is a possiblity of getting pregnant, so prevention should be taken from each and every one of them, not first getting pregnant and then aborting.
E Schembri
Oct 10th 2012, 09:47
@Albert.
Are you crazy?? That is the cause of most of our problems, not assuming responsibility for our actions.
Apart from the fact that abortion is murder, proving another easy way out will only allow for more abuse.
I would do the contrary, stop all forms of financial and social benefits and only provide moral support, thus forcing the mother to carry the responsibility of her actions.
I am sure that will make other girls think twice about their actions. And this applies to all aspects of our 'modern' culture. We only learn from our mistakes if we take the hard way and assume responsibility for them. As long as we keep providing an easy way out, society will keep repeating the same mistakes over and over.
Andrew Busuttil
Oct 10th 2012, 00:53
Since the age on consent in Malta is still 18...
Aren't these automatically cases of sexual abuse? Defilement of minors?
What about the age of the fathers? If younger than 18, they too have been abused by these 31 ladies...
I'm not advocating prosecution (for what are presumably consensual affairs)
But AFAIK the law makes no such exceptions. So where is the consistency in applying our laws?
Tom Poyntz
Oct 10th 2012, 09:12
As they are minors it is classed as (statutory rape) being under age, with consent. These boys should be charged and put on a list, their supposed to be adults, know the law, surely they wait till they are of age.
Luciano Chetcuti
Oct 10th 2012, 11:47
These irresponsible boys and girls are tomorrow's citizens and could be our country's leaders too... I dread to imagine!!!
G Hoare
Oct 9th 2012, 22:55
I AM sorry to say but it is disgusting they are so young .We are losing our faith ,anything goes these day and Im sure These babies making babies.
Luciano Chetcuti
Oct 10th 2012, 11:59
Yep... Just like animals making animals without any thought whatsoever, but just follow their animalistic instinct. This is not a matter of faith or religion, not is it the fault of the educators because I am sure that sex education is being taught in schools. Some sort of a deterrent should be in place for both boys and girls. Distributing contraceptives will only encourage more free sexual activities. This is quite a difficult situation which requires some deep thought.
Jay Oatmon
Oct 9th 2012, 22:29
Is this because the catholic church objects to sex education in the schools I wonder?
This sort of 'we know best' thinking is not part of today's world - being ignorant is no advantage.
Dorielle Soler
Oct 10th 2012, 08:16
Believe me, there are those who no amount of education will ever reach, useless to dump this on any church, catholic or otherwise.
roberto bordino
Oct 9th 2012, 22:00
There was one case where a teenager got pregnant at 13 and then again at 15. anybody know who the father/farthers were?
effie stafrace
Oct 10th 2012, 00:40
you should have asked were are her father and mother first?i think her parents have a great part of her mistakes.
Roy Muscat
Oct 10th 2012, 05:18
Il poplu malti hu missira ghax ahna intua ic chequ ,minn fuq darna.
Luciano Chetcuti
Oct 10th 2012, 07:29
Does it matter who did it? Rather I would try to increase education in such matters and make these children aware of what consequences they will entail. I would also involve the parents who are still responsible for their children until they are 18.
Dorielle Soler
Oct 10th 2012, 08:17
I too would like to know where the girl's father and mother where when all this was taking place - there are parents and there are parents.
J Degabriele
Oct 10th 2012, 08:48
@ L. Chetcuti
These 'children' are very well aware of the consequences, don't you worry. I'm reminded of a case where a 16 yr old got pregnant, lost the baby and became immediately pregnant again because in her mother's words "lahqet twebblet"!! Now the boyfriend's off and her mother is taking care of the baby!
Please choose the reason of your report below: