The Minister for Justice and Reform of the Construction Sector Jonathan Attard appointed 10 lawyers to be able to give their service to children in the Family Court, the Juvenile Court and the Criminal Court . The Appointment of these Lawyers continues to support the unprecedented investment in human resources in the justice sector, where the number of Lawyers appointed to serve in this role has been almost doubled.
“In recent years, as a Government we have recognized that we continue to strengthen the role of the Children’s Advocate, where he has really become a legal representative of the children, and not an expert of the Court. We want to see that we continue to strengthen this role with the aim of having effective, efficient justice and in the best interest of minors,” said Minister Attard.
In this context, Minister Attard said that in the coming time a public consultation will be launched on the family sector, which also includes a recommendation on strengthening this role. These proposals not only see that the Children’s Lawyers are organized in a specialized structure that will be able to offer them better conditions of how to offer a service, but also proposals for how their role continues to be strengthened from the early stage of -procedures.
“The work of an internal technical committee has reached an advanced stage on the first set of recommendations in this very sensitive and important sector. This work is based on various proposals of stakeholders in the sector, reports and the experiences of people who have faced these realities,” added Minister Attard.
He referred to certain aspects of the proposed reform, including the creation of a structure or board in which there is greater and more direct involvement of non-legal professionals in the process. He said that this will be another public consultation that is expected to stimulate an important discussion and debate in our country.
It was also explained that the goal is to increase these lawyers, but for this to happen there needs to be the necessary training so that those appointed are prepared to carry out their work in the best possible way.
Minister Attard reiterated the Government’s commitment to push and stress the importance of education and said that these appointments are confirmation of his interest that such delicate moments have the least possible impact on minors . He also reminded how through the technological update in the Courts, minors today can give evidence without undue pressure with a physical presence in the Court.
The CEO of the Agency for the services of the Courts Eunice Grech Fiorini said that the agency is acting proactively for the needs of children and recognizes that they deserve robust legal representation. She spoke about the training provided to Children’s Lawyers and the investment being made, including in technology, to have a legal system that really serves the needs of everyone, especially the most vulnerable.
At the end of the ceremony Minister Attard presented a certificate of appointment to the Lawyers, wished them well and reiterated the conviction that as professionals they will be carrying out their work with seriousness, impartiality, in respect to all laws and regulations of the country.
The appointed Children’s Lawyers are Av. Deborah Camilleri, Av. Stephanie Caruana, Av. Charmaine Cherrett, Av. Rosanna Ciliberti, Av. Stephanie Galea, Av. Mary Muscat, Av. Marita Pace Dimech, Av. Tanya Sammut, Av. Tatiane Scicluna Cassar and Av. Alexandra Sladden .
