Karen Buttigieg describes herself as a perpetual activist, dedicating time and energy to bring about changes in Maltese society. She has been in the Malta Girl Guides since she was seven years old and has held various roles within the association including a trainer, international commissioner and deputy chief commissioner. She is currently the President of the Malta Girl Guides Association. The Malta Girl Guides offers non-formal education to girls and young women, helping them to discover their potential, developing leadership skills, and empowering them to challenge social barriers. The association also takes on advocacy in issues affecting girls and women such as gender-based violence, STEM education for girls and gender equality.
Karen currently sits on the emPOWer platform, a coalition of women's organisations, ensuring a stronger voice in the debate for equality. The platform is supported by the President's Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, and is focused on ensuring that young women grow up in full confidence and recognise their strengths and leadership potential. Among the critical issues that emPOWer is working on are women's involvement in political and economic decision-making, gender-based violence, and the gender pay gap.
She is also a member of the Consultative Council for Women's Rights, which advises the Government on issues affecting women in Malta and presents policy proposals in an ongoing dialogue with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Governance.
Karen is a member and one of the administrators of the Malta Children's Associations Network (MaltaCAN) which brings together local organisations focusing on child wellbeing. MaltaCAN aims to promote, foster and support children's rights and child participatory mechanisms in Malta.
Apart from gender issues and children's rights, Karen's life journey has also exposed her to disability issues. She is a committee member of the National Parents' Society for Persons with Disabilities (NPSPD). NPSPD advocates for the needs of people with disability and their families. It is a leader in bringing forth disability issues to the public domain and the relevant authorities and engages in discussion with all parties who have the best interest of persons with disability. Since NPSPD is a member of Inclusion Europe, Karen also provides feedback and attends meetings and discussions pertaining to disability on an international level. Inclusion in education and recognition of carer's responsibilities are amongst the issues that Karen is working on within NPSPD.
Karen is also currently reading for a Ph.D. with the Faculty of Education focusing on teacher and student journeys of transformation through pedagogies in science education that foster autonomous learning, cooperation, agency and growth towards responsible citizenship.
