World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is marked annually on 15 June around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older people by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes and challenges involved.

It is a day that serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organisations and communities to take a stand against elder abuse and plan for legislation and polices that protect vulnerable elders. 

The enactment of legislation to protect the elderly from abuse has been a key priority since I assumed office. Another priority – and perhaps even more important – was to bring about social justice by allowing for more stringent punishment for the perpetrators.

In this respect, yesterday we held an event at the Ministry related to World Elder Abuse. This event consisted of a general discussion on elder abuse with the participation of various stakeholders to tackle the issue from various aspects and perspectives. I was very pleased with the participation and input in the event. On behalf of my Secretariat, I announced the introduction of harsher penalties for crimes perpetrated against older people by means of a bill to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow.

We will introduce new forms of deterrent measures that will be incorporated in the Maltese Criminal Code, specifically dealing with abuse, which so far has been defined in a very broad manner, in order to encapsulate all forms of abuse but with special focus on maltreatment of older people. This new legislation includes innovative concepts to ensure maximum protection for the elderly, even from relatives, to safeguard their best interests. From a purely academic perspective, we combined civil and criminal concepts to achieve higher levels of protection in more expeditious and effective terms without the need to resort to either criminal or civil proceedings – which are generally very time-consuming, expensive and disheartening.

There is no doubt that the government’s efforts to deter elder abuse is only the beginning and that much more needs to be done, even with regard to legislation. In fact we are in the process of drafting the second batch of amendments and already have a preliminary draft of the Commissioner for Older Persons Act. However, the Secretariat’s success in establishing this much-needed legislation augurs well, and I am sure that the government will make a substantial difference by enhancing professional and public awareness of elder abuse and establishing a range of legal remedies that will protect older people from it.

This week I also participated in the UN Conference on the rights of people with disability held in New York. I had the opportunity to take the floor at the very beginning of the conference, immediately after the election of the new committee. I stressed that, in Malta, “inclusion” is a contemporary debate in social and public policy that raises a great deal of discussion and argumentation and is a passionate topic, with unfathomable exchanges. I stressed the fact that the government of Malta has, without delay – via the Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing – established that the disability sector needs to bring together, through social dialogue, all the energies of the respective stakeholders, namely NGOs, disabled and parent activists, service providers, academia, policy-makers and politicians, with the ultimate aim of mainstreaming disability.

I highlighted the fact that our agenda as government is endless and gave a list of our endeavours so far – such as the establishment of trusts; implementation of the Guardianship Act; the presentation of the first National Disability Policy; the establishment of the ‘Focal Point’; improving public transport; ensuring we have improved ‘disability representation and imagery’; bolstering the Equal Opportunities Act; advancing independent living options – with the first residence announced only last week; reinforcing the direct payments policy; the expansion of sheltered and open employment; ensuring physical access in our towns and villages; the augmentation and participation of NGOs in decision-making’ the strengthening of welfare benefits’ the establishment of a national database’ the drafting of adult protection legislation; the scheduling of a national strategy and action plan on disability; the consolidation of a national forum that seeks to encompass academics, disabled and parent activists, service providers, policy-makers and NGOs’ the setting up of new day centres; and the establishment of sign language as a national and recognised language.

All this work is being coordinated with the disabled community, who are being given a strong voice and large degree of choice in all these processes. We believe that a social policy that is governed by a direct flow of communication is of the essence and that this, in turn, will translate into a more effective disability strategy and plan of action.

I stressed that disability is not homogenous, so there cannot be a one-size-fits-all concept. Matching the person to the right type of service, and the noble concept of ‘living in the community’, ensures participation in the life of the community and therefore this government intends to guarantee that the necessary regulations and enforcement systems for the protection of disabled people receiving a service are in place and effective, to ensure good corporate governance and sustainable development at the macro level, to promote ethical financing in NGOs and to promote a solidarity-based economy, cooperative societies and social enterprises.

From the comments and feedback we received in New York, Malta is on the right track but we still have a long way to go. We now have a committed group of up-and-coming young disabled people who are leading the change. We are committed to making Malta a truly inclusive society and that is what we will do.

Dr Caruana is Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Aging