Kids' best interests must be safeguarded in cohabitation law - commissioner

She was addressing a seminar on the effects of cohabitation, organised by the Nationalist Party's youth section MZPN. The government is mulling the introduction of a law to regulate cohabitation rights for unmarried couples.

D'Amato claimed that international statistics - which she did not present to the audience - showed that families of cohabiting parents, are more likely to break up. D'Amato said that whether cohabitation law should be legalized in Malta or not, must take into consideration the safeguarding of the child's best interest. “Children who are brought up in unstable families are more likely to suffer from psychological, emotional and physical problems, whilst not faring well at school and are socially excluded,” she said.

The director of the Cana Movement, the Maltese Church's marriage preparation institute, was also present for the seminar. Fr Joseph Mizzi said it was important that couples living together outside marriage should have a form of legal protection, especially where children are involved, to offer them protection in cases of domestic violence or family break-up.

However, Mizzi reaffirmed the Catholic line that "it is not in the Christian morality to have a man and a woman living outside marriage... Even though we look at the cohabitation law as something positive and abiding to the fundamental human rights, we must still regard the importance, strength and beauty of married life.”

Referring to the ever-changing Maltese society and the increasing amount of unmarried couples livng together, MIzzi said “what once was considered as taboo, is now about to be legalized.”