Updated 12.40pm - Added President's comments

A National Children's Policy launched today outlines 110 ways in which children's rights must be upheld, though it is scant on details about how success will be measured. 

The policy document, a first for Malta, includes proposals which fall under three main objectives: securing the safety of the child, ensuring the availability of services and the promotion of children's involvement across all levels of society. 

Among its 110 objectives are things such as ensuring children's views are taken into consideration by policymakers, that equality of access for health services is assured and that more recreational spaces for children are developed. 

The policy paper's implementation will be monitored and evaluated by the office of the commissioner for children. 

But despite setting itself a 2024 implementation deadline, the policy document makes no mention of indicators by which the commissioner can objectively measure whether these targets have been achieved.

The policy document was launched this morning by Family Minister Michael Falzon, to coincide with Universal Children's Day. It will work alongside the Child Protection Act, which was passed by parliament in January but has yet to come into force. 

Children aged four to 17 were consulted as part of the drafting process, and the policy document has been simplified and included in a children's book called The mystery box and the adventure of the five lands, which will be distributed to schools across the country. 

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca welcomed the policy document as a positive first step towards ensuring children were treated fairly and adequately represented within society. 

The document, she said, would serve as a strong message to stop all forms of discrimination against children, wherever they came from. 

"I stress the need for legislation to be accompanied by policy because we cannot just promise children's rights - we need to promote ways in which these rights can be enforced," the President said. 

"I now look forward to seeing more legislation enacted to strengthen these policies," she added. 

Read the policy in full in the attached PDF