A special parliamentary sitting for children will be held at the House of Representatives on Monday by SkolaSajf.

One of the main focuses of discussion is expected to be violence against children. That was a recurring theme that generated a lot of debate among SkolaSajf children in 'Secret Garden' discussions hosted by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.

Former President Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca, who set up the foundation, called for zero violence towards children.

"Many youngsters attending summer school were unaware that any form of violence against children is illegal, highlighting the urgent need to promote the concept of positive parenting," Coleiro Preca said in a statement.

Discussion leader Angela Caruana said many taking part in the foundation's events were astonished to learn that hitting children is illegal in Malta, and innocently asked: “Not even my parents can hit me?”

During one of the discussions, a 10-year-old boy challenged his peers by saying that he believed hitting children was important, but none of them agreed.

Ms Caruana said: “During this time, I was sitting among the children and a girl came up to me and whispered: ‘You know why he says that, because he was never hit. Hitting children hurts.’ She was convinced her mum did not love her as she hit her a lot and hurt her a lot.

"During another session, a young kid shared his experience that hitting at his house was normal; he didn’t like it but said he was naughty.”

Dr Coleiro Preca, who is also President of Eurochild — a children’s rights advocacy network with 176 members in 34 countries — said these statements clearly showed that corporal punishment was still ingrained in the Maltese culture.

“In the past, discipling children by hitting them was an acceptable practice — those times are past and this has to stop. We have to summon everyone’s commitment to achieve zero violence towards our children and promote positive parenting among those who care for our children.

“Research shows that children who have experienced any form of violence suffer psychologically and carry this with them throughout their adult life. We need long-term policies in place that engage every strata of society to change this behaviour in the long-term.”

The environment was another theme that kept cropping up as well as the importance of working together and not getting distracted from achieving national goals because of piques and greed for power.

“The children’s message was loud and clear: if they were capable of doing their bit towards achieving goals for society’s wellbeing, then as adults we do have to do our part and take wise decisions for their future,” Dr Coleiro Preca said