A report, which forms part of the , a project spearheaded by the University of Malta and the , was presented to Parliament on World Day of Happiness, showing that the majority of children in Malta are happy.
In fact, 88.5% of children between 7 to 8 years old are happy, while of those between 11 and 15 years old, 70% are happy with different aspects in their life.
However, “While the general picture shows the majority are ok, there is a group of children whose level of happiness is low. We are speaking about children who are coming from impoverished backgrounds, refugees and children with a disability”, says Prof. Carmel Cefai, who worked on the project.
Prof. Marie Briguglio, who also worked on the project, said education, the environment, planning, immigration and health make an impact on children’s wellbeing.
The report shows that fighting in schools is something which happens daily according to 36% of children between 11 and 15. The percentage of adolescents who self-harm is 9% while 17.3% of children aged between 7 and 8 experience bullying and reported that they were beaten up twice or more during the previous month. 21.7% were called names and 23.1% were excluded by their friends.
The study was carried out among 364 children and adolescents.
In the World Happiness Report, Malta classified in 40th place, however when it comes to adolescents it is in 57th place.
The report also puts forward a number of recommendations, amongst them is the need for a national policy to promote mental and physical health, a more inclusive environment for children with special needs and initiatives to reduce bullying.
