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Tag: migration

Training materials on access to justice for migrant children

The FAIR project (Fostering Access to justice for Immigrant children’s Rights) was a two-year long project, which aimed at strengthening access to justice for migrant children in the EU. Migrant children in the EU face violations of their human rights every day. Lack of access to their families, to information, guardians and legal assistance, lack of access to housing or education, unlawful detention – are few examples of what the children suffer.

The results of the project are a number of practical training modules and learning tools to support lawyers in defending migrant children’s rights:

The materials include the following training modules:

0. Guiding principles and definitions,

I. Access to fair procedures including the right to be heard and to participate in proceedings,

II. Access to justice in detention,

III. Access to justice for economic, social and cultural rights,

IV. Access to justice in the protection of their right to private and family life,

V. Redress through international human rights bodies and mechanisms,

VI. Practical handbook for lawyers when representing a child.

These materials have been used in national trainings for lawyers organised by the ICJ-EI in Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta, Bulgaria, Ireland and Germany and include also practical training tools, such as case studies and warm-up questionnaires to guide possible future trainings.

Timeframe:

1 March 2016 – 1 March 2018

Project Partners:

International Commission of Jurists – European Institutions (Lead Partner), Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) (EL), aditus foundation (MT), Fundacion Raices (ES), Bundesfachverband Unbegleitete Minderjährige Flüchtlinge e.V. (B-UMF) (DE), Legal Clinic for Immigrant and Refugees (LCIR) (BG), Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) (IR), Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA).

 

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Co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union.

Co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union and the Open Society Institute Budapest Foundation, and implemented in cooperation with the AIRE Center, Child Rights Connect, and the Associazione per gli Studi Giuridici sull’Immigrazione (ASGI) (Italy).

Youth, Not Status gathered 30 youth for its I training course weekend

On Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October 2017, we held the first training course weekend of our project Youth, Not Status. 30 young people living in Malta, coming from different backgrounds and nationalities. Students, youth leaders, social workers and various trainers, gathered for 2 days at the Archbishop’s Seminary in Rabat.

The training course weekend was an opportunity for our participants to create a platform to exchange experiences, practices and methods for young people and youth organizations on how to address migration, integration and human rights issues at the grassroots. It also included discussions focusing on national youth actions and how to strengthen the awareness and mobilization of young people in relation to these issues.

The project, funded by Erasmus+, will bring together Maltese youth and young refugees and migrants in an open social dialogue with local authorities focused on key themes of migration and integration relevant to Malta, highlighting stories and experiences from a youth perspective.

The training is also an opportunity for brainstorming about ways in which young people can be mobilised into find solutions in common critical areas: such as political participation, prevention of violent extremism, cultural heritage, freedom of expression and media and information literacy.

The training course weekend was designed to encourage discussions between Maltese and migrant youth in order to increase knowledge and awareness on migration, to reflect about the effects of migration on the rights of young refugees, and to understand the challenges and potentials of cultural diversity, inclusion, social integration, youth work and youth political participation.

The 2 days of training were structured into 4 different sessions facilitated by our Assistant Director Carla Camilleri, Maria Pisani from Integra Foundation, Binda Consulting International and PRISMS Malta. The sessions focused on the following topics:

  1. Civil Society and Democracy;
  2. Youth Narratives and Youth experiences with Racism, Marginalisation, xenophobia.
  3. Youth as Political Citizens,
  4. Youth Sharing Experiences, Multiculturalism.

Due to the lack of information on the existing issues, preconceived ideas, the continuous criminalization of the irregular migrants and their presumed threat and youth civil society, Maltese and the refugee and migrant community are not empowered to act as a cohesive group.

The sessions held during the weekend aimed at strengthening the protection of the rights of migrants and to change the societal attitudes towards them by integrating human rights discourse and the dignity dimension into the public debate on migration.

The discussion among the participants concluded with two main objectives:

  1. to change the discourse on migration by mainstreaming the topics of human rights, dignity and protection into public discussions;
  2. to develop and implement advocacy goals aiming to ensure the implementation of opportunities for youth to engage in governance and participate in political and decision-making processes.

Youth, Not Status next training course will be held on the 11 and 12 November.

The topics will be:

  • Cohabitation and co-work between young Nationals and young Refugees in Malta;
  • Young people’s representation in media, dialogue and collaboration between youth and key media actors;
  • National legislation on youth revision participation to advocate for the development of national youth strategies and policies and to lobby for the sound implementation of these.

REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN!! Click here to apply:

http://aditus.org.mt/our-work/projects/youth-not-status/registration-form/

If you need more info, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us:

antonellasgobbo@aditus.org.mt

Why should you walk in solidarity with migrants?

You must know, or must have known, a non-EU national making Malta home.

He could be the Bangladeshi carer you’ve just interviewed to take care of your ageing parents. Or the quiet Sudanese plasterer brought in by your turn-key. Or the new Serbian waitress at the café round the corner. Maybe the Macedonian kids your children play with at school. The Bosnian artist you’ve liked on Facebook. Your new Ghanian neighbours. The Pakistani nurse that took care of you at Mater Dei.

Yes, the inspiration for Sunday’s #solidaritywithmigrants walk is the on-going issue with Government about a very specific group of migrants. Yet the message we want you to convey on Sunday is not just about this specific group.

It’s about all the groups of migrants living here. It’s a very simple and straightforward message telling them, and the rest of the country, that we stand with them as they put together the building blocks of their lives in Malta.

Sunday’s #solidaritywithmigrants walk is not asking you to take on any long-term political commitments. We’re not asking anyone to ignore serious discussions on integration, security, culture, and human rights. Nor are we asking you to take on these discussions head on!

Walking with us, in #solidaritywithmigrants, acknowledges the need to have these discussions.

More importantly, it tells migrants that these are discussions to be had with them and not about them.

Join us.

‘The right to live in dignity is a basic human right for all’ – NGO press statement on International Human Rights Day

We are shocked and saddened by the news of the death of Haji, the Somali man who died last Thursday under the bridge in Marsa. The grim discovery of his dead body, under the bridge that he had made his home, brought to light the disturbing but all too often hidden reality of poverty and homelessness among migrants in Malta.

Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding Haji’s death are not unique – our work is a daily encounter with people who cannot meet their basic needs. People for whom finding food and, at times, shelter is a constant struggle.

Their problems are often exacerbated by mental illness or alcohol dependence, which not only make people more vulnerable to poverty and homelessness in the first place, but also make it virtually impossible for them to break out of the destructive cycle of poverty without extensive support.

Although it would be facile to place all of the blame at the door of the state, it is clear that there is much more that can be done to ensure that migrants are able to live with dignity and effectively enjoy their rights.

Migrants, even those such as Haji who were granted protection, are provided with very limited support to rebuild their lives in Malta. Often they must turn to NGOs for help to learn the language, further their education, or to find a job or housing. Those struggling with mental illness or alcohol dependence, who need intensive services and support, are often unable to find it. This, coupled with difficulties finding work that is not precarious, seasonal or under-paid, and soaring rent prices, makes it increasingly difficult for migrants to live with dignity.

Over and above, policies that are apparently legitimate, often act as a barrier to the enjoyment of rights, leaving people trapped in poverty and destitution.

The right to live in dignity is a basic human right.

Today, as the world marks International Human Rights Day, we urge Government to address the issue of poverty even among the migrant population and to take steps to ensure that individuals living in destitution receive the support that they need to live with dignity.

Statement made by: aditus foundation, African Media Association Malta, Integra Foundation, International Association for Refugees, JRS Malta, Malta Emigrants’ Commission, Migrant Women Association Malta, Migrants’ Network for Equality, People for Change Foundation, Platform of Human Rights Organisations in Malta, SOS Malta.

“The Ministry’s plans will render hundreds of men, women and children destitute”

Plans announced today by the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security relating to the situation of hundreds of men, women and children constitute a regression of fundamental human rights for some, and a clear path towards destitution for most. We reiterate our appeal that migrants who are, by the State’s own admission, non-returnable through no fault of their own, be offered the possibility to regularise their status in Malta thereby acknowledging their contributions, securing a dignified life and supporting various economic sectors.

According to today’s statement by the Ministry, on 1 November 2017 all persons who so far have been enjoying THPN, a form of protection that has enabled them to live in security and relative peace of mind, will have their rights stripped off them. The many years they spent working in Malta as employees or employers, forming relationships, paying their fiscal contributions, renting homes and in many cases supporting entire communities in their countries of origin, will suddenly be erased.

The 1 November scheme will require hundreds of men, women and children to comply with requirements the Ministry knows they are unable to meet, including procurement of identification documentation and the labour market test. The Ministry knows too well that for many these requirements are simply impossible to fulfil, as several countries of origin refuse or are unable to provide these documents. Most jobs migrants currently perform would not qualify for migrant employment under the labour market test, and migrants facing particular challenges securing a job – such as women, persons with disabilities or health problems – would be more seriously affected by these plans. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that employers would be willing to embark on this burdensome procedure, possibly opting to employ illegally instead.

In being denied access to healthcare that is beyond emergency, social support and all that is dependant on identity documentation, they will be effectively rendered destitute and subject to further exploitation and abuse. This is unacceptable, and we believe the Ministry is failing to appreciate the human, social and economic repercussions of its decisions.

During our meeting with the Ministry we shared a detailed Paper wherein we outlined our concerns and recommendations for a system that is just and humane. Our recommendations seek to meet the rights and needs of the individuals concerns, as well as the national security and economic interest.

Although so far the Ministry has excluded NGOs and affected migrant communities from this review process, we are nonetheless keen to stress our willingness to engage in consultations in a spirit of dialogue and trust. We hope the Ministry will accept our invitation, and listen to the voices of the communities it seeks to regulate through its plans.

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aditus foundation, The Critical Institute, Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants, Gender Liberation, Integra Foundation, International Association for Refugees, JRS Malta, Malta Emigrants’ Commission, MGRM, Malta Humanist Association, Migrant Women Association Malta, Moroccan Community in Malta, Moviment Graffitti, Organisation for Friendship in Diversity, the People for Change Foundation, the Platform of Human Rights Organisations in Malta, SOS Malta, Spark 15.