Some commonsense from Australia
This letter is carried in The Times today. It is written by a psychiatrist of Maltese origin who lives and works in New South Wales. Sometimes it takes the perspective of a view from the outside to help us see the insanity of some of our decisions and thinking.
Children at risk
Carmelo Aquilina, Glebe, NSW, Australia
I must express my disquiet over the report I read on The Times (April 23) about a suspended jail sentence given to a teacher for sending sexually-explicit text messages to 13- and 14-year-old pupils.
The report mentions that the magistrate ordered that the man’s teaching warrant be withdrawn and that he “keeps away from schools and institutions that have minors in attendance”.
Although I do not know the details of the case, as a psychiatrist, I can categorically say that he shows signs that he is sexually- attracted to children and at 37 years of age this is now not just a momentary lapse but a lifelong tendency called paedophilia. Such people tend to “groom” children, meaning that they try and win the confidence of children in order to gain close contact with them before getting them to have sex with him.
Grooming can involve contacting children through the internet and SMS messaging but it can also involve befriending parents or children’s clubs so that they can then be trusted to take children out for walks or swims, to do baby-sitting, private lessons, etc. The court order in his case focuses only on schools and is inadequate to control all the other ways this man could be a risk to others. In the UK or Australia he would have no right of anonymity and releasing his name often brings about other reports of inappropriate behaviour from other parents or victims.
At the very least, his probation conditions should have prohibited all unsupervised contact with children, having psychiatrists, social workers and probation officers monitor his whereabouts.
If the state allows this man to remain anonymous and not supervised properly, then it will have some responsibility in the tragedies which could follow.
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“and at 37 years of age this is now not just a momentary lapse but a lifelong tendency ”
What does that mean – can there be momentary lapses?
when are we getting a post on Mintoff’s appearance at Gorg Abela’s Qormi meeting?
Well, I’m pretty sure at the age of 37, it’s not ‘just a phase’.
Kien hemm ghexieren ta’ nies li haduha kontra din il-blog li gabet wicc il-pedoflu u tat diversi dettalji fuq Dan l-artiklu tal-psikjatra ta lil Daphne ragun biex tbiegh. Ghidli x’riskji kbar kien ikun hemm ghal ulied il-poplu kieku ma gejniex infurmati li dal-pedoflu kien qed imexxi klabb fix-Xaghra li jigbor fih tfal minn Malta u Ghawdex kollha (biex taparsi joqoghdu jitghallmu fuq is-shab, il-beraq u s-sajjetti)!? Kultant nasal nemmen li dal-poplu ghadu sajjem wisq fuq das-suggett, u ma jirrealizzax bil-perikli kbar u l-konsegwenzi ta’ din il-gibda sesswali marida lejn it-tfal.
I have tried hard to figure out why the magistrate chose to gamble with the safety of children, but with no success. Paedos definitely do not need any protection; they in fact thrive on cover-ups and bank on a conspiracy of silence by all those who should know better. Actually I think that the magistrate should have in fact ordered the media to publish the name and photo of this pervert so as to protect the most vulnerable members of society, that is, innocent children.
@Mcomb
Of course we will not see a post on Gorg Abela’s friendship with DomMintoff. That would weaken the “Gorg Abela is PN” argument.
[Moderator – Who is saying that ‘Gorg Abela is PN’?]
All i can say about this is that through a research I made it was clearly shown that adults with pedophilic tendencies can rarely be said to be going through a phase (which is possible). Furthermore the effects of sexual abuse on children are post-traumatic, clearly indicating that the event itself is traumatic.
If a state does not protect its children from trauma, then what kind of state is it?
Mcomb – Stop trying to divert attention away from such a serious matter. The more you do it, the more obnoxious you seem.
John Sammut – That goes for you too.
Louise Vella – What nobody is realising here (though I may be wrong in my assumption) is that the ban was on the publication OF HIS NAME. The loophole may be that his photo may still be published…
@ Amanada
I wonder if it is in their interest to deflect our attention from the subject, and hopefully make people loose interest in this particular subject.
I wonder if mod should consider whether a stricter approach is necessary, and disallow posts which have no bearing on the matter?
[Moderator – From now on: no deviants.]
Andrew S – Apparently, it’s a state that considers the protection of the identity of paedophiles to be far more important than the protection of our children from the paedophiles themselves.
@ Amanda Mallia.
You are right this is a very serious matter.
But maybe there can be another section where comments may be posted regarding mr Mintoff’s appearance at Qormi yesterday. I have information that he was ‘planted’ there. Maybe we can listen to what others have heard. I heard that somebody phoned Mintoff and told him that Dr Abela would very much wish that he (Mintoff) comes to the Qormi meeting. In fact when someone pulled him down to his seat when he was about to interrupt Dr Abela during his speech, he told him “mhux intom stedintuni biex nigi, issa mhux se thalluni nitkellem?”. It all points in the direction that Mintoff’s sudden appearance at Qormi was the smart ploy of some strategy group of some wannabe mlp leader.
The Maltese as a whole are, I suspect, not as well informed about the dangers of paedophilia as are the citizens of other western countries. Moreover, some Maltese seem reluctant to pay much attention to this matter, and treat it almost like a taboo subject which must not be talked about. I blame this on our “small-island” mentality and on the twisted religious beliefs which were force fed to the majority of the population, especially the over-40s.
This chap Mark Vella Gera got less than he deserved. He got off light.
I can’t understand why many people objected to his name being shown here on this blog. I have no patience for these people, and simply label them as ignorant fools. They preach religious rubbish when they have no clue what they’re on about.
Is it really possible that there is absolutely nothing of interest going on in Malta? Where are the George Abela brigades now? We have been here reading of MVG since Wednesday. And it goes on and on. Hasn’t the point been made well enough? Now I see why PN people are so fixed on the 70S and 80s..they are just not able to MOVE ON. They need to go on and on and on. Oh…incidentally…so the police beat up people and throw them off walls, huh? Ah…but wait..they have denied it. So we should all shut up and bow our heads in reverence, right. After all, this is Gonziland. Wait…is it? Has anyone heard of a single sound coming from the charismatic prime minister?
A state that fails to protect its most vulnerable citizens is undeniably a very shameful state.
@ Albert Farrugia : I hope you support George.Can you give us one good reason why the police would beat someone? As far as I know , only the magistrate knows what the “victim” told him , or were you eavesdropping?. If it really happened that way then let justice take its course , I hope you are not blaming Gonzi for what happened.
By the way , when will Sarkozy & Carla come to Mater Dei? I read that on It-Torca, and heard it on Super One , so it must be true.
Joe Grech – You may be right in feeling the urge to comment about it, and I would too, but this is not the right place to do so. (I am NOT the moderator, incidentally, but am merely expressing my opinion.)
Short of writing to the papers or commenting on some other blog, I guess you’ll just have to wait until the opportune time/place crops up. :)
@John Schembri
where did I blame Gonzi for anything. In any case, we haven’t heard anything from him for quite a while now. Such was the GonziPN hoax!
It seems that some people feel at ease only in a very narrow field of interests. They have to involve their pet subject in every debate, or they feel out of depth, and without value. For them politics, or religion, are the most important things. They should realize that they are no more than bores.
Moderator
If I’m not mistaken, I saw a note from you at 17:15 saying ‘No deviants’, and I take it to mean, no deviation from the main subject of this particular entry.
Seems that lots of fellow bloggers either did not see your note or are simply ignoring you.
I understand that fellow bloggers may feel the need other subjects other than what is currently being discussed.
For the sake of keeping this blog as ‘democratic’ and free as possible without having misc comments appearing all over the place and thus loosing track and gist of an argument, can I suggest having a General entry where one can post entries of a general/misc nature?
[Moderator – Daphne is preparing a post on George Abela. This is going to sound a bit rude: please put off your comments till then.]
John Schembri – Find yourself another podium, please, and don’t help divert attention away from the argument – THAT MARK VELLA GERA, THE PAEDOPHILE, GOT OFF WITH JUST A SUSPENDED PRISON TERM, AND IS CURRENTLY OUT ON OUR STREETS, FREE TO PREY ON UNSUSPECTING CHILDREN, HIS NAME HAVING BEEN BANNED FROM PUBLICATION (IN DISREGARD TO THE LAW, POSSIBLY).
THE LAW IS PROTECTING MARK VELLA GERA. IT IS NOT PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM HIM.
Albert Farrugia – That goes for you, too.
(Where is the moderator?)
[Moderator – Busy creating a post about George Abela.]
I am glad that Daphne took the step that she did in relation to the child molester. On a related issue, whatever happened to the investigation that the Bishop of Gozo set up into Fr. Anthony Mercieca who was accused of molesting ex-U.S. congressman Mark Foley when he was a young boy? What were the results of the investigation? If the investigation has not been concluded – then why not?
How about a post about the horrific beating at police H.Q.? Will Daphne name the officers involved? Makes Nardu Debono incident seem compassionate in comparison. This guy was thrown over the bastions while alive and not dumped in a field when dead. Why was this matter hushed up for more than two weeks?
Ok…so let’s pack up, abolish the Constitution, annull the laws of Malta, board boats and seek refuge somewhere else. Am I mistaken, or do we have a GOVERNMENT in this country? Does the government in Malta do anything but win elections? WHERE IS THE MINISTER? Probably waiting for reports. Reports and more reports. Where are those who are freshly elected with POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY. There were some who were so pleased that there were no issues in the election. Now suddenly one issue crops up. And please dont tell me that this has nothing to do with politics. Then what are politics in Malta FOR?? Just for people to go and get drunk and block all roads in the Sliema/St. Julians area after having won?? Yes, where are the politicians?
…of yes….and we have also a COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN…where is she??? Where has everyone been this last two months??
@Uncle Fester
Unfortunately nothing much can be done in the Gozo case youmentioned except publish his name (as has already been done) The case is time barred, both here and in the U.S.
@ David Buttigieg. Was the church investigation closed out for that reason? The Diocesan investigation is not bound by civil statutes of limitations, is it? I thought the whole aim of that Bishop’s investigation would be to sanction the man canonically – defrock him etc. and reach out to his victims. So I take it investigation is still in limbo?
@Uncle Fester
Actually I’m not sure about that, no I do not think the Diocesan investigation is bound by any statute of limitations so apologies for my comment.
I meant unfortunately it’s impossible to throw him into jail (for that particular case at least)
Who was the magistrate that issued the gag order ?
Is he/she in any way thinking of our children’s welfare?
As I always say, “name and shame” and that applies to magistrates as well. The foreign papers would never have allowed anyone to get away with passing this sham of a conviction.
And guys, don’t mix “hass” with other smells please. Paedophilia discussions are VERY serious….so please don’t bring Mintoff into the equation. He’s very much history and that’s putting it mildly.
[Moderator – I won’t allow any more posts are not related to this topic.]
@ David Buttigieg. Seems like nothing happened with the Mercieca investigation. Hope it was not just a damage limitation exercise when U.S. media put Gozo curia under intense scrutiny. I know Archbishop of Miami took away Mercieca’s rights to administer sacraments. Wonder if he got defrocked as well.
@Tony Pace. Mintoff is very much living history. Have to hand it to him – for almost 92 he’s got most of his marbles there. Mintoff and Daphne agree on one thing – they both want George Abela to be leader of the M.L.P. Now that is progress!
Ok….related to this topic…..Where is the government minister responsible? Where is the Minister for Eduaction? Where is the Commissioner for Children? Where are they hiding? There can be a million repetitive posts here calling for lynching, decapitation, castration, dismemberment, what have you. But where are the persons who have political responsibilites? Where are the law-makers whom we elected on the 8th of Match. We have 69 of them now for God’s sake. An unfortunate number if ever there was one. Why are they not involved? What are they willing to change? Why has no-one put these questions to them? And where is the independent media? All gone to sleep now after “mission accomplished”?
@Uncle Fester – you’re not right about Mintoff’s marbles. He’s lost them. Rambling speech and dementia are not an inevitable part of old age, but you have to admit that there’s something wrong with a man who thinks that the police are using his hearing-aid to track him.
@Daphne. He has most of his marbles – not all of them!! But then again did he ever have a complete set of marbles to begin with? For someone of 92 (that’s extreme old age not just old age – he’s a “xih akka”) he’s doing pretty good. So he believes the police are bugging his hearing aid – bless his miserable little heart – it could be worse. For all the misery he caused during his premiership, you can’t help but like the carmudgeon – politics has never been as colourful since he left the limelight! You have to agree that he is right on on George Abela!!
[Moderator – Please continue this discussion under the latest post.]
Tony Pace – The Times has reported the name of the magistrate concerned as being Anthony Vella on at least two or three occasions (the first time being on the first online report of the 22.04.08 concerning the subject, which report has since been removed). Meanwhile, Maltastar.com is reporting the magistrate’s name as being Silvio Meli. I’d be more inclined to take The Times as being correct, though I still find it hard to believe that Tony Vella would reach such a decision, he himself being a father of at least one young child.
@Albert Farrugia
I don’t think that neither the Minister nor the Children Commissioner can do anything about this… if we have to put this discussion under a political perspective, then we need to argue that it’s up to Parliament (incidentally, am I correct in saying that this time around, it is taking Parliament inordinately long to reconvene after an election?) to change the laws to avoid similar re-occurences and give precise instructions when (if ever) should a law-breaking citizen’s name be barred from publishing and also, the extent of the sentences involved.
It’s also up to Parliament to amend existing laws so as to change the extent of the sentences given with respect to illegal fireworks work, but that is another story…
Uncle Fester – This might answer your questions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/washington/20priest.html?ref=washington
Albert Farrugia – Don’t assume that no one has put questions to them. If you feel so strongly about it, you are free to do so too – Nobody is stopping you and other individuals from doing so.
Uncle Fester – Just two, maybe
Uncle Fester – Re the Gozitan priest:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/19/foley.priest/index.html
“Il-bugarrun” (pedophile) can be anyone, even a member of the clergy.
A pedophile will usually exhibit a series of personality characteristics that are common in this type of offenders.
I don’t know in details the case of Mark Vella Gera but I think that it’s very unjust to state that he is pedophile even though he was acquitted for sexually propositioning two Primary school boys. However I agree with the sentence, and yes, he might have been given a prison term not just a suspended sentence. The court was not harsh on him, bearing in mind that he was arraigned for sending inappropriate sms s, and not for any physical contact with his pupils. Think it was a reasonable sentence considering.
I support Daphne for having the guts and risking naming the offender even though the name of the offender has been banned by the court. X fik!!!
It is important to understand that these characteristics in which sending smss alone do not conclusively determine that a person is a pedophile although yes it carries a lot of weight. MVG displays a fascination and unusual interest in children and if it wasn’t for Daphne he could succeeded in doing what he advertised in Xaghra Local Council‘s web site. I m referring to the sleepover in Gozo which was meant exclusively for children between the age of 13 and 15.
Although the signs of MVG being a pedophile are all there, still it doesn’t confirm he is one. Yes, he is over 30 years of age, the chances are he is also single and has few or no friends his own age, his job, il- muzew thing, these are all signs. The weather man enthusiasm is a little bit odd, volunteering in doing activities that one don’t need parental supervision is also another sign. The pedophile has to find a way to legitimize his contact with kids. He usually accomplishes this by obtaining employment in a field where he is forced to deal with children on a daily basis. Yes again these are all signs that he might be one but still one cannot be certain. Some references where cruel and exaggerated in his regards and I think we should give this guy some credit.
One last observation is that the court did not send MVG for psychiatric treatment and this was wide of the mark, one should force an offender for such counseling. Although he might not be a pedophile because he was never charged for molesting his pupils, he surely needs psychiatric help. It’s not normal for a 37 year old sending such smss.
In this country we have a long way to go in this matter, starting from educating children and parents, arming ourselves with the tools of knowledge, vigilance and criminal profiling. In addition to showing positive response up to political and Courts level –“Il-bugarrun” (pedophile in Maltese) can be anyone, even a member of the clergy.
@ All political bores
I do wonder what the shadow minister for Education, and the shadow prime Minister (OK, to be fair, the acting Leader of the opposition) have to say about the matter? Albert, are they in favour of publishing the names of paedophiles or not? We await Albert Farrugia’s contribution on the matter.
OH and PS, Albert, are the MLP in favour or not re spring hunting? Am only asking as you seem to keep missing that particular question.
@ All those defending the court decision to hide the identity of sex-offenders
I do not know if anyone brought this point up.
All international news for the second day are leading with the horrendous Austrian ‘sex captor’ case. I just saw the BBC clip, and half of the news clip, around 3 minutes long, is showing Josef Fritzl’s face and video shots of him.
He admitted and is collaborating with the police to expose the gruesome truth, so he is definitely guilty. However, his pictures were already being shown as soon as the news broke out. Now in this case there is 7 people involved, his daughter, and 6 children that are his children/grandchildren. So without any doubt their identity is being exposed.
Having learned about this case, my second reaction (the first is obvious) is how come only in Malta we are so obsessed with hiding identities??? One may say because it is a small community?? For that same reason, it makes no sense to protect identities, because everyone knows each other and eventually everyone gets to know who did what to whom. So the end result of Maltese courts’ bravados is that it only brings out rumour and gossip, with the great probability that info is spread to the general public in an erroneous way!!
@Alex – identities of sexual victims are protected in Malta because of honour and shame, two characteristics that are peculiar to southern (and eastern) Mediterranean societies. Abuse brings almost as much shame on the victim as it does on the perpetrator. In an article in The Sunday Times yesterday, which began on the front page (about date-rape), one interviewee described how his 13-year-old was given a wide berth by friends, family and neighbours after she was raped. Other cultures stone or hang the victims of rape. We hide them away.
@Daphne
Hmmm…. I guess you might be right about the cultural difference on how sexual abuse victims are treated. I always thought that avoiding sex victims in Malta was not the norm, I thought it was more the case of victims being over-victimised and being the ‘miskin/a tar-rahal’ for the rest of their existence, which is as bad if not worse. At least from my perspective, because the victim will never be able to move on in life.
Let’s say you are right, in my opinion it still doesn’t make sense to cover up sex offenders’ identities. Most of the people around the victim will still end up knowing what happened, especially due to our gossipy culture, so the shunning away problem is still there. In my opinion, the pros of exposing the offenders heavily outweigh the cons.
@Amanda Mallia. Thanks for the links to the New York Times and CNN coverage on the Fr. Anthony Mercieca “there was no penetraxin but” case. It brings back memories of just how extensive the media coverage was of this Gozitan pedophile priest. Fancy telling his victim “to remember the good times they had together”!! and on worldwide television (CNN) at that.
Your links as interesting as they are do not answer my question – what happened with the investigation into Mercieca which was started by the Gozo Diocese?
The Archdiocese of Miami did the right thing and took away Mercieca’s right to say mass publicly and asked other victims to come forward. And at least one other did. Followed by a civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami by the victim who alleges he was fondled by Mercieca in the bell tower of another church in Miami where Mercieca served.
What happened to the investigation by the Gozo Diocese which was trumpeted with such media savy at the time to show just how seriously the new Gozo Bishop was taking things?
I just looked at the website for the Diocese of Gozo under their list of priests and there is Father Anthony Mercieca listed as being resident at 46 Triq il-Librerija Victoria Gozo VCT 1173. Tel: 21554123 (if anyone wants to tell him what they think of him) and tells us that he was ordained 30 September 1962. That he resides in Gozo and that he is incardinated in another diocese. That other diocese – Miami – banned him from working as a priest so he is not incardinated there. Why is he still listed on the Gozo website as an active priest?
So what happened to the investigation? Still working on it all these years later? Quietly dropped?
@Amanda Mallia. Thanks for your links to the CNN and NY Times websites. They brought back memories of the scale of the Father “there was no penetraxin but” Mercieca. However my question was: Whatever happened to the investigation into Mercieca started by the Diocese of Gozo when it was under intense worldwide media scrutiny? Was the investigation quietly dropped? Is it still ongoing? Does anyone know?
Also I looked on the website for the Diocese of Gozo which lists Fr. Mercieca as an active priest in the diocese – yes my friends – unbelievable. He is listed as residing at 46 Triq il-Librerija Victoria Gozo VCT 1173. His telephone number is 21554123 just in case anyone out there wants him to officiate at their son’s First Holy Communion this season. His date of ordination is listed as September 30, 1962. We are told that he resides in Gozo and that he is incardinated in another diocese.
That last bit of information is to say the least inaccurate. Archbishop Favalorola of Miami prohibited Fr. Mercieca from performing any priestly duties in public and asked other victims of his to come forward and at least one did and filed a lawsuit alleging that he had been fondled by Fr. Mercieca when he was a young boy. The fondling took place in the belltower of the church in Miami where Mercieca served.
Were Mercieca’s priestly rights reinstated without any publicity? If they were not then what on earth is his name doing listed on the website for the Diocese of Gozo? And what ever happened to Bishop Grech’s investigation which was trumpeted with such media savy all those years ago and applauded as another example of “kemm jaghmel l-affarijiet bis-serjeta dan l-isqof il-gdid”. Kemm hu “no nonsense” tafux!!
@ Amanda Mallia. The website for the Archdiocese of Miami lists Rev. Anthony Mercieca as being retired. The Archdiocese also contains a link to a section called “Protecting God’s Children” which deals with child abuse.
Fr Mercieca admitted molesting (with no penetraxin) Congressman Foley but denied being involved in the case of John Doe 26 who alleged that Fr Mercieca performed oral sex (again, no penetraxin) on him. In July 2007, the Diocese of Florida reached an out-of-court settlement with John Doe 26. It is well known that Catholic Dioceses in the U.S. hire top lawyers and they do not offer handouts unless they really have to.The Archdiocese of Miami relieved Fr Mercieca of his duties. This means that Fr Mercieca cannot celebrate a public Mass, administer sacraments or wear his cleric’c collar. Yet, he is listed as a priest of the Gozo diocese.Can Bishop Grech please explain?
@Gozitan And can Bishop Grech dust off his investigative file on the issue and give the public a status report on his much trumpeted investigation. Maybe Daphne can use her clout to get some answers out of the Gozo curia on this one.
Are magistrates obliged to declare conflict of interest before accepting cases where such might appear to exist? Just thinking aloud ….
Uncle Fester – Maybe you could try asking Bishop Grech directly …
sorry to interrupt. waiting for a place to comment on yesterday’s may day defile. interesting: future prime minister in flip flops and ‘suit’ having trousers and jacket in different shades of black. Another one: light brown shoes on dark suit. Europe here we come.
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