In an opinion piece published in Times of Malta, President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca reflects on the experiences of children who pass through Malta’s justice system, warning that many emerge feeling silenced despite constant references to their “best interests.”
She writes that children often find themselves in spaces “where their voice is neither welcomed nor sought,” adding that nothing can undo the harm of being forced to share deeply personal experiences “in hushed whispers, afraid of upsetting adults who stopped listening long ago.” Coleiro Preca questions how decisions can truly serve children when many say they were never asked what they wanted and that their needs were ignored.
Referring to research released by the Malta Foundation for the Well-being of Society, she notes that children describe courtrooms as frightening environments that pushed them into silence. “These accounts reveal a painful truth we must stop ignoring,” she writes, stating that children are navigating systems “designed for adults, at the expense of the young.”
Drawing from her direct contact with families, Coleiro Preca highlights situations where parents refused consent for therapy, medication, or activities that could help children heal. She states unequivocally that “weaponising a child’s mental health is abuse,” stressing that children deserve stability, support, and freedom to grow.
While acknowledging that courts may intervene, she warns that no law can fully protect a child whose parent prioritises conflict over responsibility. Citing children’s rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman, she reminds readers: “If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much.”
Coleiro Preca concludes by calling on professionals, parents, and policymakers to listen, stating plainly: “We must begin to listen because children are not voiceless. We have simply stopped hearing them.”
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