In her article of 25 July, your columnist Marisa Micallef seems very concerned about the state of things in Malta and assumes that only she is seeing the problems around us, and drawing attention to them.
She cannot be farther from the truth in stating that the Children’s Commissioner is only keen to speak out about IVF.
Had she read my Annual Report, which is the main instrument that the Commissioner has to give an overview of the situation of children in Malta, she would have found out that I discussed 21 issues regarding children, some of which she mentioned and many others which she did not. The issues arise from the fields of education, health, justice and social services.
Ms Micallef also seems blissfully unaware of the various press releases that I have issued and that have dealt with subjects as varied as “Swimming safety”, “Protection of children on the Media,” “Children at risk of poverty”, “The law on smoking”, “Entrenchment of the Abortion law in the Constitution” and others.
Equally important, yet unknown to Ms Micallef, are the various interviews I have given in the media, where I have spoken frequently of the way children are being affected negatively by court delays, unhappy court decisions regarding separations, pressures of exams, children’s local councils, and other situations where the voice of the child is not being heard enough. Besides this, my staff and I keep a regular presence on radio programmes to make known the Convention of the Rights of the Child which Malta ratified in 1990.
Above all, she must have completely missed the launch of an important project on “Children with Very Challenging Behaviour”, which I hope to conclude by the end of the year.
Please set Ms Micallef’s mind at rest that the Children’s Commissioner is doing her job.
It was no wonder that, during the press conference to launch the Annual Report, Ms Marie-Louise Coleiro, echoed by Minister Cristina, said that what I had accomplished in my first year of office was nothing short of a miracle.
Not bad for what was presented to me as a part-time job.
Sonia Camilleri
Commissioner For Children