“A person is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. However, in the case of adults working with children, it seems the opposite presumption is made, and the individual is presumed guilty by society until proven otherwise,” Education Minister Evarist Bartolo told The Malta Independent yesterday.

He was asked to comment in the wake of the number of reports of alleged abuse or harassment by adults who work with children.

Such reports are duly dealt with by the police; however, some adults have raised their concerns, claiming that they are somewhat at a disadvantage in the way such cases are dealt with, and that more transparency is needed. In his comments, Mr Bartolo said that while authorities have the responsibility to protect children, they also have the responsibility to protecting the integrity of adults. “We cannot end up in a society where adults are afraid of working with children, out of fear of accusations of abuse, even if the case is simply one of accidental physical contact.

“The saddest part is that we end up losing the good ones, because those who have wrong intentions do not care, but those with good intentions might fear for their reputation, and ultimately, their career. We’ve had a number of adults who have ended up tormented by such events.”

Mr Bartolo said that it is the highly sensitive nature of such cases which makes it challenging. “Such cases have always existed, but today, more of them are brought to light by the media. Children today are living in an ‘over-sexed’ environment, so they try to question adults’ actions more than ever. We do need however to keep a sense of perspective, and take into consideration the rights of both adults and children.”

Towards the end of August, a member of the Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM) was charged with defiling a 10-yearold boy. The incident occurred on 24 August, during a swimming outing, when allegedly he lifted the boy out of the water. He was granted bail after he pleaded not guilty.

Following the incident, the president of the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT), Kevin Bonello, said the police inspector failed to carry out a proper investigation before prosecuting the accused. Meanwhile, another case of defilement has been dragging for over three years, with the police still carrying out investigations.

The union also addressed a letter to the Prime Minister, saying there is no uniformity in the manner in which such cases are handled. The Minister for Education himself called for an immediate meeting with the participation of the union and the police force to discuss the best way forward.

Yesterday, the union met with the authorities concerned again and put forward a set of proposals, asking for more transparency, and legislation frameworks that protect educators and other adults working with children.