The name of the new Commissioner for Children is still unknown four months after Ms Sonia Camilleri informed the government that she is not interested in taking up a second term in office and a month after her three-year term came to an end.
Ms Camilleri will continue to hold office until a successor is appointed.
A spokesperson for the ministry told this newspaper that a number of people are being considered as successors to Ms Camilleri and when a final decision is taken, after consultation with Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee, this will be made public.
The ministry added that when a new person is appointed to the role, the government does not plan to have a better or different working relationship with the new Commissioner for Children, but it will continue to respect the office as it has always done.
“The government will respect the office as independent and autonomous, and it will continue to maintain an open-door policy for anything the new commissioner may wish to address,” said the spokesperson.
Ms Camilleri had formally informed the ministry about her decision last September and she has publicly given reasons as regards her refusal to accept a second term.
Doing so in the hope that it might be a message to the authorities as regards the office’s legal limitations, Ms Camilleri had pinpointed a number of shortcomings including what she described as the lack of autonomy due to the nature of the Commissioner for Children Act 2003, as well as the lack of resources.
Nonetheless, the ministry has maintained that the work carried out by the Nationalist government over the past years, including the setting up of the Office of the Commissioner for Children, has resulted in major strides being made in the best interest of children.
Among a number of other initiatives, the ministry spokesperson mentioned the signing and ratification of several international instruments related to children, the setting up of the court service within Agenzija Appogg to help the Family Court assess the rights of children in court work, as well as more recent amendments to the Regulations for Children and Young Persons.
Asked about the commissioner’s complaint with regard to the lack of resources allocated to the office, the spokesperson said the budget of Lm25,000 allocated to the Office of the Commissioner for Children was an improvement on the previous budget of Lm10,000.
The spokesperson pointed out that apart from this allocated sum, the government is responsible for all office expenses including utility bills, stationery, photocopies, the supply of computers, internet access, technical assistance and the provision of the actual office space.
The ministry’s personal emoluments vote also contributes to the salary of one of the employees within the office, said the ministry spokesperson, insisting that the actual financial allocation is in fact much higher than the one being quoted.
Replying to a question regarding the Labour Party’s proposal for stronger measures to protect children, such as giving the commissioner a status similar to that of an ombudsman, the ministry said that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, then Social Policy Minister, had led the debate in Parliament, mentioning that various countries’ models were considered before deciding the actual structure of the Office of the Commissioner for Children.
The choice between ombudsman and commissioner was discussed and the latter was chosen because it was the most practical and useful for the country, said the spokesperson, adding that a clear distinction does exist between the two roles.
While a commissioner’s role is to analyse existing structures and policies, ensure their adequacy, and outline a way forward, an ombudsman handles complaints and tackles specific cases.
Contrary to a commissioner’s role, an ombudsman is not involved in policy-making and agenda setting, said the spokesperson, pointing out that Parliament had unanimously approved the Commissioner for Children Act.