United Nations International Day of Children Victims of Aggression

The United Nations has dedicated Friday, the 4^th June, as the International Day of Children Victims of Aggression.

This day has been dedicated to all children, all over the world, who are suffering from the physical, mental and emotional effects of war and of terrorism such as death, deprivation, maiming both physical and mental, separation from family and loved ones, sometimes for ever, as well as the ever present need of rehabilitation for these children.

This day we are also asked to think of the countless children all over the world who are refugees, having been forced to flee for their lives, leaving behind all that was familiar and comforting.

The presence amongst us of children, and their families, who have escaped from the Balkan conflict, has vividly brought home to us the suffering of those people.

Maltese children and their families were also familiar, in the past, with war and the pity of war and the consequences that such upheavals inflict on the innocent.

There are also other forms of aggression towards children, such as sexual abuse, commercial exploitation, child labour and child trafficking.

Other forms of aggression towards children are, also, ever present.

It is our duty to prevent all forms of child abuse, to protect our children and to provide them with support.

As a society, we have always managed to protect our children from serious risks. This is mainly due to our love for them. Maltese families have always given top priority to their children's upbringing, education, health and development – physical, psychological and social.

But there is still a number of children amongst us who lack these basic rights. For them, too, the future beckons, and this has to be as promising as it is for other children.

The Ministry for Social Policy, together with the Department of Family Welfare, the Social Welfare Development Programme, Sedqa Agency, join together to bring awareness of this day, to remind ourselves of our daily duties towards all children and towards our own children, so that this common heritage, which has come down to us from generation after generation continues to be protected and strengthened.

We believe that:

• The best interests of the child are to be the primary consideration in all circumstances;
• Child development is to be guaranteed and actively promoted;
• Children should enjoy active participation in all matters that affect them directly;
• Children who cannot live within their own natural family of their adoptive family, be provided for through foster care.
• Ways of enhancing and developing out communications and parenting skills are to be actively sought.
• It is every person's responsibility to report to the competent authorities any person who is known to be sexually, physically or emotionally abusing any child.
• No one is to keep silent about child sexual abuse within one's own family or from any other person; for the sake of their child help is to be sought immediately.
• Measures, which lessen the trauma for children giving evidence in court, are to be introduced.
• All available expertise is to be used to provide support for children who are victims of aggression and abuse.
• We are to offer all assistance to child-focused organizations in an on-going campaign to eradicate corporal punishment, which may be one of the most common forms of child abuse in Malta, and to adopt alternative measures of discipline.
• We are to support all oppressed children in other countries who are victims of aggression.