Politicians are being urged to prioritise children’s mental health against a backdrop of two years of Covid and international upheaval that is eroding families’ living standards.
As the world marked Mental Health Day on Monday, Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said: “We need to heed their voices. We know the pandemic has compounded children’s mental health issues.”
Youngsters’ mental health was made worse by the fact that they were separated from their peers during crucial developmental years and a Faculty for Social Wellbeing study showed nearly 75 per cent of 13- to 18-year-olds said they were negatively affected by the pandemic.
Richmond Malta, a mental heath foundation, this year also reported an alarming 1,045 per cent surge in requests from youngsters seeking help for mental health issues since the start of the pandemic.
“The snapshot we are seeing from such reports is troubling and experts are warning of long-term consequences — children need action now,” Coleiro Preca said.
The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society stressed that mental health problems had no face, no nationality, no gender no race — unlike adults, in the world of children what happens to the "other" affected one another.
During a visit the foundation paid to Mental Health Commissioner Dennis Vella Baldacchino, Coleiro Preca put the spotlight on the six points children themselves called for in a manifesto prepared by the Children’s Council within the MFWS, and launched last year.
“This manifesto reflects the aspirations of 20,000 children living in Malta. This means one in five children living in Malta have spoken about the mental health challenges they and their respective communities face. Have the politicians found the time to inform their policies by going through this manifesto? Will they ensure the proper structures are in place?” she asked.
The foundation also marked World Mental Health Day by sending an email to all MPs reminding them of this manifesto and urging them to reflect and act on the children’s aspirations.
The manifesto, which was drawn up following years of work, discussions and consultations by the Children’s Hub with thousands of children was split into five pillars — community and environment, health and wellbeing, education, diversity and inclusion, as well as children’s rights and active participation.
Each of the 99 proposals is a recommendation by the children themselves. In the section on mental health, the children urged politicians to strengthen, restructure and resource-free child mental health services in the community.
They called for the creation of adequate social and psychological support systems for the growing problem of juvenile delinquency, and to provide increased financial and psychosocial state support for families below the poverty line and those who are at risk of poverty.
Children also wanted politicians to develop initiatives and campaigns on body positivity and self-esteem that challenged the negative effects portrayed by the media.
“Children are the experts of their own lives. It is our responsibility to listen to them and act… We need action now. We need to urgently invest in children’s mental health.”