Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/602004
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2015 6 TIM DIACONO THE National Youth Council (KNZ) has called for the legal age of marriage to be raised from 16 to 18, claiming that the existing law enables parents to push their children into getting married. "We believe that marriage should be the adult's own deci- sion, and marriage at a young age would hinder the development of the young person involved," the KNZ said in a report on sexual health and the age of sexual con- sent. The council also recommended a pilot project to distribute free condoms in Paceville and other places popular with local youth, and cited a World Health Or- ganisation survey among Mal- tese youth that showed that 71% of sexually active 13-15 year old males do not use contraception. Elsewhere, the youths said that a sexual health clinic should be set up in Gozo, as well as one in each post-secondary school. They also suggested the provi- sion of courses to help parents start having conversations with their children on sexual health, as well as the provision of schol- arships for people keen on spe- cialising in sexual health. They focused heavily on the need for a revamp in sexual health education – suggesting that education about the body be taught prior to puberty, that education on sexual harassment starts from a young age, and that pornography and the Internet be slotted into the curriculum. 86% of surveyed 11-15 year olds want age of consent lowered At 18 years, Malta's age of sex- ual consent is – along with that of Vatican City – the highest in Europe, followed by Cyprus and Ireland at 17. In all other Europe- an countries, the age of consent ranges between 14 and 16. Labour whip Godfrey Farrugia said in January that Malta should "move ahead with the times" and lower the age of consent to 16 so as to "provide social justice to 16- and 17-year-olds who are suffering as a result of this law". His proposal was backed by oth- er parliamentarians, including health parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne and Labour MP Deo Debattista, and a joint meet- ing of the parliamentary commit- tees on health, social affairs and family affairs earlier this month recommended lowering the age of consent to 16. While the KNZ did not explic- itly propose reducing the age of consent, they argued in their report that the current Maltese sexual health policy law is "out- dated" and that the law "should not seek to protect minors' inno- cence at the age of 16". Moreover, an online question- naire by the council revealed that a whopping 86% of the 101 surveyed 11-15 year olds were in favour of having the age of con- sent set at 16. Out of the total 676 respondents – whose ages varied from 11 to 36 – the rate of ap- proval of a reduction stood at a more modest 57.5%. The most common reason giv- en for approval was that youths would be properly informed by 16, marked 344 (53.1%) of par- ticipants, and that young people would have developed the abil- ity to say no by the time they have reached that age, with 327 (60.6%). 282 (43.5%) respondents also claimed that young people would be mature by that age. News WIN a set of the four books of To win answer the right question tick the right answer/answers? ❏ Arturo Caruana writing is known as Gothic literature ❏ Arturo Caruana is the pseudonym of Alessandro Manzoni ❏ Arturo Caruana is the pseudonym of Vittorio Alfieri ❏ Arturo Caruana's writing is known as Frame narrative Send your answers by 2 December to: MediaToday, WIN A BOOK FROM BDL, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann The winner of the book Drawwiet u Tifkiriet Josephine Grech from Hamrun, Sue Borg from St Julians, Carmen Camilleri from B'Bugia, Carmen Apap from Pieta, Joe & Lora Meilak from Qormi and J Sultana from Zurrieq published by BDL Arturo Caruana's Marta Youth council suggests raising legal marriage age, free condoms in Paceville 86% of 11-15 year olds surveyed agree with lowering age of consent from 18 to 16 Five candidates vying for Cassar's seat FIVE candidates have submitted their nominations to fill the par- liamentary seat vacated by former Nationalist health minister Joe Cassar. Former MPs Tony Abela, Peter Micallef and Philip Mifsud are joined by former Rabat mayor Rudolph Grima and Dingli local councillor David Vassallo in the race to fill the seat given up by Cassar, who resigned following MaltaToday's revelations about his links with businessman Joe Gaffarena. Nominations closed yesterday and the counting of votes will take place on Monday at 9am. Abela was the last candidate to be eliminated in a 2013 casual election and together with Mi- callef is favourite to fill the seat in the seventh district, made up of Rabat, Zebbug and Dingli. In the unpredictable casual elec- tions, candidates must achieve 50% of the quota established in the previous general election. The quota of the seventh district in 2013 was 4,075, meaning that in order to get elected a candidate must garner 2,038 votes. In the unlikely eventuality that nobody reaches the quota, the PN would co-opt somebody to fill in Cassar's seat. The last MP to make it to parliament by co-option was Joseph Muscat, today Prime Min- ister, who took up the seat volun- tarily given up by Joseph Cusch- ieri in 2008. Abela served as parliamentary secretary in charge of defence be- tween 2003 and 2008. He had also contested the casual election held to fill in then PN leader Lawrence Gonzi's seat in 2013 after the former Prime Minister resigned in the wake of the calamitous electoral defeat. However, Gonzi's seat was taken by the PN's former financial con- troller, Antoine Borg, who beat off the competition of six other candidates, despite getting only 197 first count votes in the elec- tion itself. Current Mosta mayor and former MP Edwin Vassallo, was also eligible to contest, but ruled himself out due to his commit- ments at a local level.