A press conference was organised by the Lisa Marie Foundations to present its proposals to the government on what it believes should be mandatory requirements for adults working with children.

The Lisa Marie Foundation was set up after Lisa Marie Zahra died tragically at the foot of Dingli cliffs. She had been in a relationship with her drama teacher, Erin Tanti, at the time. He has since been prosecuted and charged with assisting in suicide and engaging in lewd acts with a minor, amongst other things.

There is no doubt that the taboo of discussing such issues has been lifted after Lisa Marie’s death. Maltese society has opened up to discussing such issues with more frankness. The fact of the matter is that people in positions of trust should be thoroughly vetted and screened before they are allowed to work with children.

This should include sports coaches, teachers, priests, carers, learning support assistants and others who come into daily contact with children.

The Malta Union of Teachers has now come out on record saying that if schools fail to report inappropriate behaviour by adults with minors, they should have their licence revoked. We agree. Just like the cases that are emerging around the world of priestly abuse or inappropriate behaviour, society’s reaction is that covering up the crimes is sometimes worse than the perpetration of the original abuse on the minor.

But this should be extended. It should not only be for schools. The same should apply in sports nurseries and other areas where adults have access to children. Of course, the vast majority of people who do work with children or teenagers do so because they have a vocation and because they want to give something to the upcoming generation. But it is also a scientifically proven fact that those who are disposed to being sexually attracted to children also seek out positions where they can have unfettered access to children and being in positions of trust strengthens the grip that they might hold on them if they are engaging in untoward behaviour.  We must also accept that while the majority of such perpetrators are men, there are also some women that engage in illicit activities. While, to date, we have not heard of any such incidences in Malta, the UK and the US has had regular coverage on the media of cases where female teachers, mostly 30-somethings, engage in sexual activities and relationships with teenager boys.

This is also a crime and we must be vigilant. The best way forward would be to ensure that anyone working with children is not on the sex offender list.  Psychiatric evaluation is another option to ensure that people in positions of trust do not have underlying issues that  might surface when the do come into isolated contact with children. There is no doubt that more people are coming forward and that the stigma of child abuse, or illicit relationships with minors is slowly being chipped away and broken. It has given children the confidence to come forward and report matters for investigation. We owe it to our society to not erode that trust that has slowly been built up. The quickest way to do that would be by shutting the door in their face if they seek help.