Mirana Agius Silvio, LEAD participant
Being an educator by profession as well as a mother of two, the well-being of children has always been an issue close to my heart.
Along the years, we have seen the effects of a fast-changing society, mirrored vividly in everyday school life. Such changes have affected us all, some more directly than others. The need to protect our children from increasing challenges present in social media, traditional media, politics, social and situational poverty, is important for all stakeholders.
We must protect our children, while simultaneously ensuring it does not hinder their potential. It is a balance that sometimes can be difficult to achieve and it is here that the office of the Children’s Commissioner can play an important role.
The well-being of children is high on Malta’s agenda. On various occasions, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has reiterated this need and thus, the Children’s Commissioner’s job is cut out for her in this regard.
The role of Children’s Commissioner was set up for the purpose of protecting children, promoting children’s rights, to ensure the provision of necessary services for children, and to encourage children’s participation in matters that have a direct effect on them. Such work, as the President duly emphasised on multiple occasions, requires more resources and independence.
It is of great relief to see that things have been set into motion. We have recognised children nowadays come from different family settings, different cultures and religions. Moving away from a one-size-fits-all system, should not only be restricted to education, but also include the needs each child has as an individual.
In regards to legislation and policies, the Ministry for the Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity has put forward a number of initiatives, mainly the launch of a national children’s policy. The policy is a first for Malta and it outlines a total of 110 objectives that need to be achieved.
The policy aims at providing children with a loving environment in which to grow and this should be provided both at home and at school. It calls for better protection of our children and to provide them with courage and a voice that will help them achieve their maximum potential, now and in the future. The Act for the protection of minors is also in the pipeline, which will also bind the judiciary to listen to what minors have to say, especially on matters which directly affect them. Most importantly, this law will safeguard the interest of children abused by people in their own family circle, tutors or sport coaches.
The office of the Children’s Commissioner must communicate with adults as much as it communicates with children
In view of all these challenges, and rightly so, parents need to be empowered and the office of the Children’s Commissioner must communicate with adults as much as it communicates with children.
Parents need to be made aware of these policies, legislations and their children’s rights. It is when we empower parents that we can empower children. Parents have the obligation and duty to protect their children, to help them achieve their goals, to be their voice and help them develop one of their own. Who better than a parent to do so?
Children need to know that they do have a right to justice. This needs the dedication and commitment of the Commissioner for Children, in the role of guardian of this policy, to oversee the implementation of the policy, set indicators and gauge achievements and results. All this will result in the need of more human and financial resources, and more independence and authority for enforcement.
This is one of the biggest challenges foreseen for the commissioner, as well as for the government and all stakeholders who have now set new and more ambitious goals that, if achieved, will result in a stronger and more prosperous Maltese society.
Therese Comodini Cachia, Opposition spokesperson for Media, Culture, and National Identity
It was a big step for our society to gain an official entity entrusted precisely with the task of giving children a public voice and consequently officially recognise children as persons with their own rights and responsibilities. The tasks assigned to the Children’s Commissioner are all grounded in the principles that children have rights and responsibilities as equal citizens within society and that society at large must provide for the well-being of the most vulnerable.
Establishing the office of a Commissioner for Children in 2003 was a big step towards bringing about a conscious change in how we perceive children in our society.
The Commissioner for Children is entrusted with one of the most difficult tasks: promoting as well as safeguarding the welfare of a group in our society who is the most vulnerable. While our society slowly progressed to recognising children as holders of rights and responsibilities, children remain today one of the most vulnerable groups of society.
Children are not emotionally, socially or economically independent and so they are prone to abuse and suffering
They are not emotionally, socially or economically independent and so they are prone to abuse and suffering. Within our society, one that is proud and cherishes its children, we are still afflicted with too many situations that hurt children and their personal development.
Children remain those who find most obstacles to voice their opinion and participate in social development, in expressing their own opinion and in engaging more in their own personal development. Children, like every adult, are also living the fast-changing lifestyles adopted by their carers, and are consequently faced with the challenges that their own carers encounter.
Children, like every adult, are also experiencing the effects of a more connected world through the fast development of technology. They are affected by social, economic, technological developments as by the changing family structures.
Cases of domestic violence, for example, are a constant reminder that children are at the mercy of those entrusted with their care. Children are scarred by the actions and failures of those they often trust most, that is their primary care givers and relatives. They are often also the unfortunate victims of the misfortunes that happen to their primary care givers. Children are the age group at the highest risk of poverty and social exclusion.
The Commissioner for Children is entrusted with bringing out the social and cultural change needed for children to be recognised as bearers of rights and responsibilities in their own right; for empowering children and developing platforms to give children the right to participate in public debate; to address and assist in those circumstances where children suffer some type of abuse; to raise awareness on the welfare of children and to seek ways of ensuring that services are provided and policies are adopted that support children’s welfare; to promote and always seek to have implemented the best interest of children in general as a group in society but at times also the best interest of a child living a particular experience.
This long list of actions and functions assigned to the commissioner is only part of the responsibilities with which her office is tasked with. The estimate budget for the officer of the Commissioner for Children for 2018 is that of €180,000. This budget is set to cover not only the running costs of the office and the salaries of employees, but also to cover the budget needed for projects and actions that need to be taken for the effective implementation of all the responsibilities assigned to this office.
It is true that there are other agencies who also play a role in safeguarding children, but the Office of the Commissioner for Children plays a role that no other agency is given. Its role is central to ensure that children’s best interest remains our focal point so that each and every child is given the best chance for personal growth. Surely, the protection of children’s best interest deserves more investment.
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