The President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, has appealed for the implementation of the Child Protection Bill, as part of a wider comprehensive Children’s Act. The Child Protection Bill, which is currently in draft format before Parliament, “is of utmost importance for the wellbeing of children.”

The President of Malta was addressing those attending a closed discussion to mark International Day for the Protection of Children, yesterday. Among those present were paediatricians, members of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, the Malta Police Force, the Students’ Services Department and the Office of the Commissioner for Children. She thanked them for their continuous work and dedication in the field of child protection.

While there are many examples of best practices, the President noted that the continued lack of a comprehensive and holistic legal framework hinders the professionals’ ability to ensure that the rights of the child according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) are fully observed.

The discussion was initiated and organised by the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, by means of collaboration between the Child Forum and the National Institute for Childhood within the Foundation. This event brought together participants working on the frontline of child protection issues, including perspectives from social work, education, health, legal and order.

A presentation on the legal instruments related to child protection was also delivered by Dr Sandra Hili Vassallo. Meanwhile a number of good practices were shared. Some of those mentioned included the existence of open communication channels based on reciprocal trust between key multi-agency professionals in the child protection field.

One of the major obstacles in collaborative efforts towards securing the full protection of children, was identified as being the lack of human of resources. This puts tremendous stress on the professionals in the field.

File photograph of the opening event of the ‘President’s Secret Garden’ for children at San Anton Palace

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