We have been throwing solutions left, right and centre as we witness one tragedy after another in this country. The blaming game is at its best. As always happens when there is a spike in criminality (actual or perceived) this leads to moral panic.

Our reaction is not directed in trying to understand what is happening in our communities but we go into a frenzy and we start planting doubts in one institution after another as we try to untangle the chaos. The courts, the police, the educational system, the Church, a change in our morality are all tossed about as reasons for this professed profligacy.

I believe the problem is too deep-rooted to be solved by simply exerting pressure on the courts or the police force. Putting people in prison and ‘throwing away the key’ is another absurdity. The recent cases of femicide, attempted murders, people being deliberately run over, gangs roaming the streets and regular brawls in our community need a more thorough analysis and scrutiny.

One angle we need to look into is unresolved childhood traumas. The root of most of these evils is traceable to a lack of positive experiences during ‘our’ upbringing.

In my, and a number of stakeholders’ opinion, this ‘trauma’ in social policy has not being given the importance it deserves. It is useless trying to heal a behaviour unless we know where it is coming from. Naturally, not all people who go through traumatic experiences in childhood are unable to get through life. However, engaging in the right type of therapy, support and help goes a long way in this healing process.

The roots of trauma and why it is allowed to fester are varied.

We need to address the problem at its core- Andrew Azzopardi

In a discussion document I wrote following consultation with various experts I identified at least 100 potential traumas that can leave a lasting effect on children as they transition through life.

To mention a few: refugee children, children who witness violence at home, adopted and fostered children, children who are bullied or abused sexually, children in care, children affected by poverty, children who have to visit their parents in a prison setting or testify in court, children who experience ill-health, children unable to play or come from different ethnic communities or religions, children who contemplate suicide and/or self-harm or who witness adults in these circumstances, and children who live in contexts where mental health is ripe.

This calls for urgent action, the first being that of convincing leaders in the social sector of the very serious situation we are in.

Quoting from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (US) website: “ACEs [Adverse Childhood Experiences] are common. About 61 per cent of adults surveyed across 25 states reported they had experienced at least one type of ACE before age 18 and nearly one in six reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs.” It adds: “The economic and social costs to families, communities and society totals hundreds of billions of dollars each year.”

I recommend we set up a task force to look into this matter that will include academics, social operators, professionals, and policymakers. It is imperative we have a national study to help us understand the extent of the problem within our society.

We also need to have trauma specialists and trauma specialised training embedded in the curriculum of caring professions and we should include ongoing professional development.

We need to reconstitute and strengthen the multidisciplinary teams in our schools, work with prison inmates more intensely and use non-formal education in the process of healing. This will complement access to psychotherapy, family therapy, psychological services and counselling.

Instead of simply judging people or contemplating extreme measures for people who act criminally we need to address the problem at its core.

If we do not deal with this matter appropriately, we will sadly be guaranteed more victims like Paulina, Bernice, Rita, Sion and Pelin. 

Andrew Azzopardi is Dean at the Faculty for Social Well-being.