The current news cycle is focusing on some negative experiences faced by
politicians’ children. As is the case with almost everything else in Maltese
politics, the issue is being interpreted through an ‘us’ and ‘them’ approach.
Only that this time around, the binary is not divided between reds and blues.
Being a politician dad myself, I sympathize with
other politician parents who may have experienced such unfortunate practices. It
is only fair and just that children should be treated for what they are
rather than being socially excluded because of their background.
I would never
justify behaviour which excludes children because their parents happen to be in
politics, just as I would never justify having children excluded because of
their parents’ skin colour, beliefs or other sources of identity.
At the same time, we should verify
whether it is beneficial to raise kids’ profiles to media
superstar status. Here
I am not just referring to politicians’ children, but also to kids who hit the
headlines of top TV shows, pop festivals, and the like. And by verification I
am referring to proper evidence-based social scientific analysis.
In the meantime, the form of social exclusion which
made to the current Maltese news cycle is bullying, and the Commissioner for
Children made it clear that this can never be justified. I know the
Commissioner, Pauline Miceli, to be a level-headed decent person, and if
anything, her statement only confirms the opinion I have about her.
We must also keep in mind that there are other
forms of social exclusion which many children are experiencing. Unfortunately,
the voices of such children are quite invisible from the public sphere.
These include children who require the services of Learning Support Assistants
but for whom state resources seem to be
lacking; children who are excluded from public activities because of their
disability; children who are deprived from public spaces where they can play
safely; children of cultural minorities who don’t seem to
‘fit in’ and children whose parents’ income prohibits them from enjoying the
most basic forms of social inclusion.
We can also mention children who are on long waiting lists for certain
public health
services and babies who are prohibited
from being breastfed due to a lack of friendly environment at the work place.
Finally, we can also refer to the view
that treats children as incomplete human beings, as
blank sheets of paper waiting to be filled in. True, children need to be
educated about the rights, responsibilities, values, norms and skills
required in society. But children are also
creative, imaginative human beings whose voices should be heard.
Commendable activities such as children’s parliament should be mainstreamed and
children should be consulted more on what they would like to see at school, in
public spaces and in society in general.
This article appeared in Malta Today, 19 August 2018
