Labour MP Justyne Caruana, party spokesperson for the family, children and the disabled, said the Maltese government has not yet signed the optional protocol of the International Convention on Children’s Rights.

And neither could the Maltese government sign it, because the government has not yet introduced the convention into Maltese law, though the convention has been ratified, Dr Caruana said.

The protocol creates a mechanism and procedure for children to be able to act whenever their rights are violated. While the government drags its feet, Dr Caruana said, children in Malta cannot have their rights guaranteed according to the convention.