MLP Councillor Addresses Strasbourg Conference

Local and regional authorities throughout the 47 member countries of the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities should be given all the necessary support to be able to promote social policy and help families in Europe overcome the difficulties they faced, MLP local councillor Claudette Abela Baldacchino told a Strasbourg conference on the elimination of violence.

Ms Abela Baldacchino, vice-president of the Socialist Group in the congress, said that in unity they could truly have a Europe with a more human face.

Local and regional authorities were closer to families, knew what families needed, and wanted to do more but for this to be possible, they had to have the support of their national governments and authorities.

In Malta, she said, the Association of Local Councils was prepared to work with everyone to help families.

A campaign of bus shelter movie posters against domestic violence had had a positive influence and, for instance, there had been women who sought help after seeing the posters.

The Strasbourg conference accepted Ms Abela Baldacchino's proposal that local and regional authorities in Europe would dedicate at least half an hour a week on their webpages to allow people who did not physically present themselves to report problems they may be having.

June 19, 2008