If we are truly committed to building peace among our nations, we must begin by building peace in our homes, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca told representatives from the UN and 40 countries on Thursday morning.

“The world has never needed peace so desperately. We must ensure that our children are effectively shown that violence in never a solution,” the President told international policy makers and stakeholders at the third Global Conference on the Universal Prohibition of Corporal Punishment, being held at the Corinthia in Attard.

Malta made corporal punishment at home and alternative care settings illegal in 2014.

President Coleiro Preca opened the conference by insisting that laws regarding children need to reflect the true aspirations of children, as otherwise, the policies would be irrelevant.

“If our laws and policies, regarding children, do not respond to the real experiences and concerns of the child, then they are at best, incomplete, and at worst, lack authenticity and authority.”

The President urged those present to listen to the voices of children who form part of councils and consultation groups within her Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which reflected her own “deepest belief” that children were the “experts on childhood”.

She called on the audience to send a message of zero tolerance towards violence against children, as one united family of nations.

Corporal punishment, she added, was not only an unacceptable violation of children’s rights, but undermined the wellbeing of our communities.

“As we know, children develop their personalities and attitudes based upon the experiences they receive, particularly at the most formative periods in their young lives…

“Corporal punishment does not improve children’s behavior. Rather, it demonstrates aggressive attitudes which can later manifest in antisocial and destructive activities.”

The President noted that despite legislative progress, as in Malta, changing hearts and minds required a cultural shift.

“Where the culture of corporal punishment still exists, we must move beyond attitudes of fear, shame and silence,” she added.

For Children’s Rights Minister Michael Falzon, in order to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of children, it was important to introduce legal provisions ensuring that people did not punish children who trusted them.

“In our role as parents, we are well aware that in this day and age, parenting can be demanding and stressful, but we must not translate this into violent measures of correcting our children…

“Instead, we should look towards positive reinforcement of good behaviour so as to spur the child to behave and act appropriately. In this way children grow up to be secure and disciplined, away from challenging behaviour and low self-esteem,” he said at the conference.

Closer collaboration between civil society and the authorities

The international community cannot stand by, while violence against children is trivialized, normalized or ignored in several parts of the world, President Coleiro Preca warned.

Humanity must hold itself to account, she said, urging closer collaboration between civil society activist and authorities “to give more visibility, and put the issue of abolition of corporal punishment on the global agenda”.

Addressing the same audience, Coordinator of children’s hub within the foundation Angie Caruana expressed disbelief that corporal punishment was still not illegal in some countries. She urged representatives to reflect on their own childhood: “unless we come in touch with the inner child inside, it is useless speaking about children.”

A child dies every five minutes

It is high time to translate our commitment against violence into a reality for our children, Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children told those present.

Every five minutes, a child dies because of violence, while it is estimated that every year, half of the world’s children suffer violence.

“Still, violence remains very hidden, and it is frightening for children to tell their stories. They feel that the institutions that are meant to protect them are very distant,” she said, adding that it was troubling that violence started very early in life.

Around 300 million children aged between two and four suffered some form of physical or psychological violence, she said.

Early childhood stress, including exposure to violence, compromised their wellbeing, and has long-term effects, including negative impact on language acquisition and higher risks of becoming involved in criminal behaviour.

We need to break this cycle, Ms Santos Pais insisted.

Apart from impinging on human rights, violence against children also has economic effects – it costs the world 7 trillion US dollars every year – close to 8 per cent of the global GDP.

What is corporal punishment?

It is the intentional infliction of physical pain as a method of changing behavior and may include abusive methods, or painful body postures. It is considered as the most widespread form of violence against children, and there is overwhelming evidence, through international research studies, that it is harmful to adults and societies as a whole.

Is corporal punishment illegal in Malta?

Corporal punishment became unlawful in homes and alternative care settings when Article 339 of the Criminal Code was amended in 2014, with the aim of instilling a cultural that does not tolerate any form of violence against children.

The Victims of Crime Act, enacted in 2015, protects children’s interests in cases of conflict with parental or guardian interests.

The recent enactment of the Child Protection Act, which has not yet been implemented, reinforces the right of the child not to be subject to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including corporal punishment. The Act is currently being revised and a new Bill will be presented to Parliament before summer recess.

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