One in five babies born in Malta last year had a parent of “unknown” nationality, official figures show.
A total 1,571 babies were born to a parent of unknown nationality in 2016, up nearly 200 per cent over figures from 10 years ago.
The phenomenon has been steadily on the rise for the past decade, in fact some 265 such babies had already been born in the opening weeks of this year, almost as much as the figure for the entire year in 2006.
Questions sent to the authorities yesterday afternoon were not replied to by the time of writing, but a former midwife-turned-social worker told Times of Malta that the reasons behind the trend were varied.
“When I was still at hospital, we had cases where the nationality of the father was being contested by the authorities, for instance in the case of babies born to people who were considered ‘stateless’.
Around one-third of newborns last year –2,447 – had at least one non-Maltese parent
Others were born to migrant fathers or foreign nationals who then moved from the island before the baby was even born, leaving the mothers to raise the babies and often unsure of the nationality of the father,” she said.
The figures tabled in Parliament by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici earlier this week show that while there has been an upward trend in such cases over the years, the phenomenon barely exists in Gozo. In fact, the only baby born to a parent of unknown nationality on the sister island in the past decade came just weeks ago.
The figures are not to be confused with babies born to unknown fathers, who make up around a third of births annually.
The data, given in reply to a question from Opposition MP Chris Said on Wednesday, also sheds light on the impact foreigners are having on the nationality of babies born. Around a third of newborns last year had at least one parent who was not Maltese. The figure, 2,447, was more than double that in 2006.
Some 130 mothers last year were teenagers, while 77 were 45 and older. The risk of pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, increases drastically after 35 and continues to rise in your 40s.
The odds of genetic problems also jump as one gets older. According to the World Health Organisation, at 40, the chances of conceiving a child with Down’s syndrome was one in 100; at 45 it is one in 30.
More worrying, however, are babies being born to drug-addicted mothers. In 2016, 14 babies had mothers who were self-confessed drug addicts.