Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/298224
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 APRIL 2014 Opinion 23 Therese Comodini Cachia O n Monday, children missed out on a golden opportunit y, that of being number one priorit y for parliament. In determining two very important issues that will directly affect the rights of children, the majorit y of our representatives chose to focus on the rights and powers of others rather than those of the child. Minister Bartolo has granted himself access to students' per- sonal information in a manner that he can identif y the child specifically. This is an interfer- ence with every child 's right to privacy. In the same parliamen- tary sitting, the final vote on the Civil Unions Bill was also taken. This will affect the child 's right to family life. One would have expected children to be at the very heart of a healthy public debate that would have spurred both these legislative measures. Instead, any debate that has occurred was hi- jacked by focusing predominantly on adults. For Minister Bartol,o a nine- seat parliamentary majorit y may provide him with the power to know the abilities and disabilities that your child and mine might experience and this consequently marks a political win for him. To me, this vote marks the day when the government has unjustly and disproportionately interfered in our children's right to privacy. It marks the day when information privacy applies only between pri- vate individuals but not between the individual and the govern- ment. When the latter wishes to know, it legislates so as not to seek your consent. To make things worse, this unjustified and disproportionate interference is carried out on one of the most vulnerable groups in societ y. Children do not have a voice unless someone provides them with one and the govern- ment has failed them in this regard. This government was, only a few weeks ago, boasting of coming up with the first law drafted by children for children. We were given the impression that this government was willing to place children as a priorit y. Yet at the same time, the government showed how blasé it is towards children by granting unto itself the power to know what abilities and disabilities each one of them has without their knowledge, let alone their consent. The Civil Unions Act gave rise to an order to bring about equal marriage rights for same-sex partners but not to a call for the government to come up with a strong and effective policy on children. The vote last March was in favour of civil recognition of same-sex couples. Even those who may have voted for the Labour Part y for other reasons automati- cally gave this government the mandate to pass this law. In a way, even those who voted for the Nationalist Part y gave it this mandate since both parties had indicated that they would grant civil recognition. So why did this law also legis- late in the area of adoption? After all adoption focuses on the child. This is now done and the child 's wellbeing or the child 's best interest, as legally defined, rests entirely in the hands of those who participate in the adoption proceedings. Is the need for a good and ef- fective children's policy fulfilled? Not at all. The government ought now to take on the challenge of addressing children's needs by placing their best interest at the heart of debate and action, and should be expected to do so with such speed as it used when it usurped powers over children's information and passed the civil union law. Each child in care has his or her own story to tell, but I am sure that there are plent y more children who have heart breaking stories to tell too. These stories are not fictional, but true and it is up to the government to ensure that each child is safe- guarded from harm. Safeguarding a child from harm may not necessarily mean placing that child under a care order. Sometimes I get the feeling that the government puts its con- science at peace simply by placing a child under a care order and within an institution. It forgets that child 's family, even if this remains an integral part of that child 's life. Childcare institutions struggle to give each child placed under their care the best professional attention possible. Their re- sources are, however, strained. The carers I have met in these institutions provide a service lovingly and professionally. Often their success is limited in effect. They really and truly are asked to focus on the child placed within their care, but who looks after the child 's family? Any child placed under care retains the right to be reintroduced within his own fam- ily. But how can we do this if the family is not empowered to break through a cycle of difficulties? We often think of children in care and forget those who are not but greatly need to be cared for. Several services have mush- roomed in the last decade. Yet we are not seeing much progress in lowering child abuse and neglect, povert y and social exclusion. The government has a number of committees and boards set up to deal with these issues, with fami- lies and children. Yet it is time for the talk to stop and for the action to be rolled out. Children can't wait; they turn into adults too quickly. Therese Comodini Cachia is a Nationalist MEP The protection of children This vote marks the day when the government has unjustly and disproportionately interfered in our children's right to privacy The government ought now to take on the challenge of addressing children's needs by placing their best interest at the heart of debate and action YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt