Political campaigning is all about the image that politicians and candidates project to the electorate - and during this electorate we have seen more and more children being used as a part of party campaigns.

For example, a government press conference which was to announce the signing of a contract which saw Manoel Island and Fort Tigne transferred back to the government was then followed by a group of schoolchildren being shown around Fort Manoel, and them being snapped with Prime Minister Robert Abela and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici.  A picture of this was shared as part of the official press release issued to the media.

There was some controversy earlier in the campaign when the Labour Party used a child in her school uniform in the filming of a promotional video for their electoral campaign.  The controversy came because permission had not been sought from the child's school for their uniform to be shown in political footage.

It has also been frequent to see children at political activities, and posing with party leaders.  The Prime Minister's daughter Giorgia Mae also appeared on stage at the Labour Party's mass meeting on 1 May.

It is commendable and quite mature that Sarah Bajada - PN leader Alex Borg's partner - has opted to keep her son Sam out of the political limelight during this campaign.

This is not a criticism of one party over another: but rather a statement of principle that children should be kept well clear of political campaigning. 

The Children's Commissioner has time and time again across several electoral campaigns spoken out against the practice of using children as part of political campaigning.

Way back in 2017, Children's Commissioner Pauline Miceli had said that "in a small country like Malta, where everybody knows one another, it is extremely important for people to be aware of the impact that the repetitive exposure of children's images can have on them."

She noted that, "few give consideration to the long term repercussions that might follow a child's participation in electioneering," adding that images of minors on billboards and other political material may be the cause of bullying and discrimination.

One understands the reasoning behind using children as part of a political campaign's imagery: there is a level of wholesomeness, and it allows parties to project messages relating to the family, to future generations, and to the future of the country as a whole.

Yet we cannot also forget the negative impact that this imagery may have. Malta is a small country where everyone knows everyone.  A face on a billboard will likely be seen by half of the country.  Social media advertising only exacerbates this. 

A child used in political campaign may one day grow up to be of a different political persuasion, or may even be subject to bullying as a result of their involvement. 

The responsibility must even come from the parents of the child in this regard: is it in the child's best interest for their face to be used as part of a widespread political campaign, particularly given how polarised and tribal Malta's political environment can sometimes be?

It must be the wellbeing and interest of the child which comes first, not the political leanings of the child's parents.  All decisions should revolve around one question: is this in the best interest of the child?  If it isn't, then the answer should be quite obvious.