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15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2026 NEWS Malta's whistleblower protection leaves much to be desired, expert says THE way Malta's whistleblower infrastructure is being utilised leaves much to be desired, the executive director of Whistle- blowing International Network (WIN) has said. Anna Myers, who runs WIN from Glasgow, said that al- though Malta's whistleblowing infrastructure could be im- proved, it is currently not being utilised to its full potential. She was speaking to Malta- Today shortly after a workshop on whistleblowing in public procurement, organised by Re- pubblika as part of the events marking the 9th anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder. Questioned about the whis- tleblowing law in Malta, Myers described it as a first step in encouraging people to expose wrongdoing, but insisted that employees reporting their own employers within their work- place is counterintuitive. She further pointed to the media as a possible candidate when whistleblowers don't trust the mechanisms in place, however she cautioned that the media must be responsible enough to focus on the mes- sage. During the workshop, Re- pubblika researcher Francesca Mangion published a study on Maltese whistleblower protec- tion in public procurement. The study shed light on the practical reality for anyone un- covering misconduct in public procurement, which remains fraught with systemic hazards. Mangion found that across the entire public administra- tion, there is no published data on procurement-related dis- closures, investigations, refer- rals, or outcomes. The whistleblower architec- ture was found to be further compromised by an over- crowded yet disconnected reg- ulatory landscape. The study noted that over- sight on state expenditure and contracting integrity is divid- ed across a myriad of entities, including the Department of Contracts, the Public Con- tracts Review Board, the Na- tional Audit Office, the Per- manent Commission Against Corruption, the Internal Audit and Investigations Directorate, and the Malta Police Force. Rather than outright dupli- cation of statutory mandates, the study points to functional overlap and uncoordinated in- terfaces at the reporting, triage, and referral stages. The paper pointed out that Malta has no unified national referral map and no common inter-agency protocol, leaving separate ministries to rely on fragmented internal standard operating procedures. Such deficiencies, the study shows, carries the risk of iden- tifying whistleblowers. This is especially so when it comes to public procurement, as one's knowledge of bids and tender details can be used to single out whistleblowers. For non-em- ployee suppliers and contrac- tors-turned whistleblowers, the consequences are particu- larly devastating, translating into commercial blacklisting, abrupt contract terminations, and severe financial losses. While anonymous tip-offs remain legally permissible, the study shows public bodies exercise wide discretion over whether to pursue them, often relegating anonymous com- munications to the status of routine correspondence rath- er than formal whistleblowing cases. The report stressed that rely- ing on whistleblowers places a disproportionate personal and commercial burden on the in- dividual, warning that whistle- blowing mechanisms can never substitute proper structural controls and anti-corruption enforcement. The study acknowledged that stakeholders interviewed dur- ing research raised the pros- pect of establishing a single, constitutionally entrenched whistleblowing authority to ensure true operational auton- omy and restore public trust. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Anna Myers, executive director of Whistleblowing International Network 505 children referred for mental health services last year MALTA'S child and adolescent mental health services received 505 referrals for various condi- tions last year, figures tabled in parliament show. Referrals for anxiety, depression and related conditions accounted for 103 cases, with the remaining 402 for ADHD and autism assess- ments. The 2025 referrals, included 202 that came from Child Develop- ment Assessment Unit and 303 from GPs and paediatricians. The referrals were for 282 boys and 223 girls. There were 194 children be- tween the ages of 4 and nine, 143 between 10 and 14, and 168 be- tween 15 and 18. Health Minister Ian Borg tabled the figures on 5 October in re- ply to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Romilda Zarb. She had asked about new cases at the services once known as the Child and Young People's Services (CYPS), now part of the Child and Adolescent Services (CAYS). Zarb asked for new referrals over 10 years, year by year and by gen- der. Referrals for all reasons to- talled 408 in 2016, rising to 598 in 2019—the highest figure in the 10-year period. They fell to 407 in 2020 and 386 in 2021, then climbed again to 464 in 2022, 567 in 2023 and 580 in 2024. Last year, 505 cases were referred to CAYS. CAYS states on its website that children in Malta experience, on average, a higher prevalence of physical and mental health com- plaints than children in other EU countries. It cites the World Health Organisation as saying half of all mental health conditions be- gin by the age of 14, many of them undetected and untreated. The Ministry for Health's Men- tal Health Strategy for Malta 2020-2030, published in July 2019, sets out a framework for mental health care and promotion across the population, with a specific fo- cus on prevention and promotion for children and adolescents. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Referrals for anxiety, depression and related conditions accounted for 103 cases, with the remaining 402 for ADHD and autism assessments (File Photo)