The newly-appointed Commissioner for Children, Antoinette Vassallo, sat down with journalist Semira Abbas Shalan from The Malta Independent on Sunday to discuss her new role as commissioner, as well as certain issues children are facing on a variety of topics, such as cannabis, obesity, sex education and political affiliations.

This newsroom asked the Commissioner about her main objectives as well as what she aims to achieve in her new role. Vassallo replied that naturally, she must continue the work her predecessors started, commenting that she still has a lot to learn.

“Most importantly, however, is that we give children a voice in everything that we do, encourage them to participate and discuss as they are able to give their input on certain things at a certain age,” Vassallo said. The Commission follows on the interests of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), where it is concerned with youth and children under 18 years of age, meaning that there are plenty of voices to be heard, added Vassallo.

“I believe that we must listen and listen well to our children and their opinions and give them a voice in every sector where children are involved,” she insisted.

Former Commissioner for Children, Pauline Miceli, had expressed with this newsroom concerns regarding the new recreational cannabis law in Malta, saying that the fact cannabis plants can be grown at home will give children easier access to drugs as well as risking being exposed to passive smoking. Asked about her own thoughts on the law, Vassallo said that it is worrying, maintaining that parents hold a certain responsibility when it comes to exposing cannabis to minors.

She also suggested that cannabis must be controlled in some way, proposing authority checks that cannabis is being held in a safe space away from children, as children take on examples given by adults. “If a child is accustomed to seeing cannabis being smoked around the house, it is likely that when they are older, they will do the same,” Vassallo said, adding that parents or siblings around minors should not set a bad example to the children.

The development made of the Children’s House, which entails minors, who are witnesses or victims of abuse or domestic violence cases, to testify and provide evidence for court proceedings in a safe space, was commended by the Commissioner. She remarked that this is a step in the right direction to prevent any re-traumatization, ensuring that the child speaks to a professional-trained person. “It makes sense; court is not exactly a child-friendly environment,” she said.

 

‘Schools should not solely focus on academia, but also mental health’

Several were those who expressed concerns over their children’s education amid the pandemic, having missed several lessons in the first period of lockdown when the pandemic hit. Vassallo was asked if she had worries that children have fallen behind in school due to the pandemic as well as any suggestions on how to confront the problem.

“Nobody was prepared for the pandemic and I believe the Health Ministry handled the situation as best as possible, however, of course there were problems with online schooling, such as feelings of isolation, impact on academic progress as well as a huge impact on the mental health of these children which came about with the pandemic,” Vassallo said. She remarked that schools should not focus solely on academia, but also on the social and mental health aspects. On the other hand, positives also came out of the situation, as children, who could not attend school physically due to long-term hospital stays, could now benefit from the online system, she said.

“The Commission has made several sessions with children about the impact of the pandemic and the government has also visited households to see if there is a need for certain devices to ensure online lessons are done by all members of the family,” she said. Asked if the syllabus should be changed to better cater to students who have experienced educational setbacks, Vassallo said that if this would benefit children, then the education department should take it into consideration. “The change of syllabus, pandemic or otherwise, should also include life skills, research, conflict resolution among others, to further equip children with the life knowledge they need, aside from the academic aspects,” Vassallo noted.

In a country where there are high rates of obesity, with the National Statistics Office showing that in 2020 25.5% of Maltese people were obese, much higher than the EU average of 14.9%, Vassallo remarked that early intervention to tackle obesity in children is key. “It is important to promote healthy eating habits as well as push for more initiatives for physical exercise to be done,” she noted. Vassallo said that the Maltese live a very sedentary life, and at times, children’s only physical exercise is their P.E. lessons at school. If these are not held every day, then children are not getting adequate exercise, Vassallo said, stressing that there should be enforcement for keeping fit, which would help in the child’s physical and mental health.

Many are those who believe that sex education in schools is lacking in Malta, having to resort to other sources such as the internet to sate the need for information and curiosity, which can result to harmful ideas about sex. Vassallo was asked if sex education in schools needs to be improved, to which she affirmed that it should. “It is important that in Personal Social and Career Development classes (PSCD), we do not impose the mentality that sex is a bad thing, but rather give appropriate information on safe sex, sexual orientation, as well as sexually-transmitted diseases (STIs).”

“We also need to let children ask and express their opinions; we should not stay away from these discussions and we should not treat it as a taboo subject,” Vassallo added.

The Office of the Commission is part of the project BeSmartOnline, coordinated by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services to tackle issues of cyberbullying, sexual situations and others. “Aside from PSCD lessons, these discussions about sex should also be a cross curricular approach, for example, this information could easily be given through a comprehension of another subject,” Vassallo said, remarking that the Office has been informed that PSCD lessons cover such a wide spectrum of topics that perhaps there aren’t enough discussions on sex education. “It is better for the educational system to provide correct information regarding sex education, otherwise children could try to access pornography sites, which could lead to traumatising images as well as an unrealistic picture of sex,” added Vassallo. She remarked that there also needs to be more awareness in society with regards to LGBTIQ+ communities, different countries, races and backgrounds in general.

Malta is a very politically polarized country; where there could be a tendency for parents to impose their political beliefs on their children. The Commissioner was asked whether Maltese schools should better their political education, especially where there is a tendency to tell children not to speak about politics among themselves at school. Vassallo answered that parents must be careful on how to speak to children about these issues, to not impose their ideas, but rather encourage them to do their research and become more informed. “Rather than a better education about this, it is important to emphasise critical thinking, as after all, 16-year-olds are able to vote, despite being minors,” noted Vassallo. Vassallo added that as they grow children are less easily affected by other people’s opinions and are able to form their own ideas.

Following increased rates of students who decide not to continue their education beyond the obligatory age, Vassallo said that she does not agree with the extension of the obligatory school age, as it is useless if the student has no interest in continuing academic subjects. She did, however, suggest more opportunities and incentives for work experience and vocational subjects, to further train youths for the work environment. “At that age you still have a lot to learn, which does not need to come from sixth form or university,” she said.

EY Malta surveys have shown that youths have expressed discontent over aspects of the country, particularly the environment, which leads them to want to leave the country. Vassallo said that this information worries her; however, she understands on the other hand that children and youths look for adventures and other opportunities abroad. She commended opportunities such as Erasmus mobility programmes, which enable students to study abroad, while they explore a foreign country and gain life experiences. “It is a reality and a concern, however, I don’t blame them and we should not restrict youths from exploring something different,” Vassallo noted.