Violence against children

Suzanne Garcia Imbernon Office of the Commissioner for Children

Children, as human rights holders, need special protection and attention for various reasons. Children are still too often at the mercy of the adults who are responsible for them. This dependence makes them more likely to encounter violations of their rights and they are less empowered to advocate for their own interests. It is for this reason that adults and relevant entities should strive to ensure that children’s rights are truly guaranteed. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child aims to guarantee that children have access to all their rights and that governments and other stakeholders including parents/guardians are truly committed to protecting children from all forms of harm. One of the most basic human rights principles is the right of children to live free from any threat of violence. Article 19 of the UN Convention specifically states that all children have the right to live with dignity and that violence against children is never acceptable or justifiable.

Children should be able to report such violence in a safe way and such reports should be investigated. For many different reasons, children are not usually able to make reports by themselves and rely on adults to do so which makes them even more vulnerable. One form of violence against children is Domestic Violence which has a negative impact on children and may even have a harmful effect on their development. Domestic violence is a violation of children’s rights whether they are victims themselves or witnesses of such violence within the family. In such situations, children are being deprived of a safe and stable home.

The Office of the Commissioner for Children has advocated on various occasions for the rights of children experiencing domestic violence to be protected and to be given adequate support required to ensure first and foremost their safety as well as their right to a happy childhood and upbringing. These are essential for the wellbeing and development of children.

In light of various cases which have taken place in Malta whereby domestic violence has even resulted in murder leaving children without a parent, the Office has urged authorities to take the necessary action to address such situations and to prevent such tragedies from taking place.

The courts should be provided with adequate resources to deal with cases of domestic violence in the shortest time possible and in a sensitive manner. This will limit the negative impact on children and families by guaranteeing the necessary support and safety for the children and their parents/ guardians.

Increased efforts should also be made to create awareness amongst children themselves on how they can reach out for help and support as well as the need for the implementation of more effective preventive measures.

Is-Seminar dwar il-Miżuri tal-Budget 2023 (L-Ewwel Parti)

Imnedija l-Viżjoni Soċjali għat 13-il sena li ġejjin

Tonio Bonello

Editur

Ta’ kull sena d-Dipartiment tas-Sigurtà Soċjali fi ħdan il-Ministeru għall-Politika Soċjali u d-Drittijiet tat-Tfal iniedi seminar dwar il-miżuri tal-budget li jkunu tħabbru fl-aħħar budget. Waqt dan l-avveniment, numru ta’ kelliema, minn Diretturi sas-Segretarju Permanenti u l-Ministru jindirizzaw temi partikolari fl-oqsma tagħhom u b’mod ħolistiku b’relevanza mal-budget.

L-Onor. Michael Falzon

Ministru għall-Politika Soċjali u d-Drittijiet tat-Tfal

F’diskors tal-okkażjoni l-Ministru Falzon semma l-impenn tal-Gvern kif ukoll ta’ dan il-Ministeru biex kull faxx tas-soċjetà jkompli jeleva ruħu ’l fuq f’dik li hi kwalità tal-ħajja. Dan b’impenn leali u b’diversità ta’ servizzi b’risq il-poplu ta’ dawn il-gżejjer. Hu temm jirringrazzja lill-impjegati kollha tal-Ministeru għal ħidma kostanti tagħhom li, permezz tal-effiċjenza u l-impenn fil-qadi ta’ dmirijiethom, tali miżuri jkunu jistgħu jidħlu fis-seħħ kif mistenni.

Segretarju Permanenti

Kelliem ieħor f’dan is-seminar kien is-Segretarju Permanenti, is-Sur Mark Musù. Is-Segretarju Permanenti spjega kif matul l-2023 se jkunu qed jiġu implimentati 23 miżura ġdida mħabbra fil-budget li għadda, tali miżuri se jkunu qed jilħqu setturi diversi tas-soċjetà.

Is-Sur Musù mbagħad għadda biex tkellem dwar dak li se jkun jiġri internament bħala Ministeru fejn fost oħrajn bħalissa għaddejja ħidma ta’ ristrutturar f’kuntest ta’ pożizzjonijiet u direttorati ġodda.

Kien hawn li l-kelliem ħabbar it-twaqqif ta’ Direttorat ġdid dwar l-Implimentazzjoni u s-Sapport. Direttorat ieħor ġdid se jkun dak responsabbli mill-Finanzi u l-Governanza. Ma’ dawn, Direttorat ieħor li oriġinarjament kien imniedi fl-2012 imma kien waqaf maż-żmien, issa se jkun qed jiġi introdott mill-ġdid jiffoka speċifikament dwar il-Pensjonijiet.

Is-Sur Musù kompla jgħid li fl-ħidma ħollistika tal-Ministeru, fil-perspettiva ta’ dak li joffri liċ-ċittadin Malti u Għawdxi, li diġà qed isir u li hu tajjeb ma jfissirx li ma jistax jiġi rivedut biex jekk jista’ jkun jitjieb aktar. “Hu f’dan id-dawl li minn hawn nista’ nħabbar il-Viżjoni Soċjali għat-13-il sena li ġejjin, jiġifieri dwar kif qed naħdmu u kif se nkunu qegħdin naħdmu sal-2035”, spjega s-Segretarju Permanenti.

Fi tmiem id-diskors tiegħu s-Sur Musù rringrazzja b’mod partikolari lill-MITA u lil servizz.gov tal-ħidma tagħhom biex ix-xogħol kollu li qed isir jista’ jkun suċċess. Hu rringrazzja wkoll il-management u l-istaff kollu fi ħdan il-Ministeru u dawk li attendew għal din l-attività.

Kelliema oħra waqt dan is-seminar kienu s-sinjuri Grazio Barbara, Direttur Ġenerali tas-Sigurtà Soċjali, Alexia Vella, Direttur għar-Relazzjonijiet Internazzjonali, Edward Buttigieg, Direttur għall-Benefiċċji Kontributorji, Raymond Chetcuti, Direttur Ġenerali Income

Support & Compliance Division, kif ukoll Martin Buhagiar, Assistent Direttur Għajnuna Finanzjarja u Investigazzjonijiet.

Grazio Barbara

Direttur Ġenerali tas-Sigurtà Soċjali

Is-Sur Barbara tkellem dwar Bonus fir-rigward ta’ kontribuzzjonijiet nieqsa, għotja tal-Korpi

Parastatali u dwar il-Korpi Dixxiplinati - il-Korp tal-Pulizija, il-Forzi Armati u l-Protezzjoni Ċivili. Dwar kontribuzzjonijiet nieqsa semma kif se tingħata għotja lill-persuni li ma jikkwalifikawx għall-Pensjoni Kontributorja minħabba li ma jkunux ħallsu biżżejjed kontribuzzjonijiet tas-Sigurtà Soċjali.

Dawk eliġibbli se jkunu min għalaq l-età tal-irtirar u dawk li twieldu fl-1959. Dawn huma persuni li ħallsu aktar minn 50 kontribuzzjoni tas-Sigurtà Soċjali imma li m’għandhomx biżżejjed biex jikkwalifikaw għal Pensjoni Kontributorja.

Fir-rigward tal-Korpi u Parastatali, fost oħrajn il-kelliem spjega kif dawn se jitħallsu, skont in-numru ta’ snin li ħadmu u mhux relatat mat-tip ta’ xogħol jew grad li kellhom. Dwar dawk li kienu fetħu xi kawża kontra l-Gvern issa dawn irtirawha kollha u tħallsu rispettivament.

Meta tkellem dwar il-Korp Dixxiplinati, id-Direttur Ġenerali tas-Sigurtà Soċjali qal li dawk l-Uffiċjali li jkomplu jagħtu servizz wara l-25 sena kif mistenni, jekk jagħmlu 4 snin ta’ servizz addizzjonali, dawn se jkunu qed itejbu l-pensjoni tagħhom bi 23 fil-mija.

Se tkun qed tingħata wkoll Pensjoni tas-Servizz għal 5 snin lir-romol ta’ Uffiċjali li jkunu ġew nieqsa jew li jagħlqu l-25 sena servizz, inkella fil-perjodu bejn l-għeluq tas-servizz u l-età tal-irtirar. Is-Sur Barbara temm jgħid li l-liġijiet li jirregolaw dawn il-Forzi se jkollhom l-emendi meħtieġa mill-Ministeru għall-Intern u s-Sigurtà.

It-tieni parti ta’ dan ir-Rapport se jkun qed jiġi ippubblikat fil-ħarġa li jmiss ta’ rivista FAMILJA jiġifieri dik tas-sajf 2023.