We have been part of the EU for a little under three years, yet our legislation still lacks some fundamental rights with regard to our children’s best interest and welfare.

For the past couple of years, we have been publicly writing to make the legislators aware of the needs of our most vulnerable members of society, our children, yet our pleas fall on deaf ears.

Their most recent concern seems to be the adoption of the euro and the introduction of divorce. But the lack of proper legislation means that our children cannot enjoy a normal childhood like the children of other European nations.

The Maltese legislators are ignoring the right of the child to a family, by permitting that 300 children live in care throughout their childhood and not be properly adopted.

Then we have our education system which still discriminates between those children who are intelligent and those who are not, at the tender age of 11 years.

And, most distressing for us parents is the fact that there is still no legislation to differentiate teenagers from adults. In fact, everyone can see children roaming entertainment places meant for adults at all hours of the night, with some of them drinking alcohol on the pavement.

The police cannot stop them as there is no legislation to fall back on, while we parents have our hands tied because of peer pressure among other things.

The lack of these vital laws is making it impossible for us parents to raise children with a good moral character.

All those who have our children’s best interest at heart had better unite to make our legislators pass these much-needed laws.

Events by Sedqa or the Church authorities aimed at teenagers will be ineffective unless the law states that persons under 18 years cannot attend places meant for adults after a certain time in the evening. The longer we take to enact proper legislation, the more our children’s moral character and childhood will be spoiled.

Miriam Cassar

Grupp Favur id-Drittijiet tat-Tfal

Marsa