Director

How to identify the needs of refugees victims of torture?

Time for Needs, a project with the objective of contributing to the identification of special needs of victims of torture and/or serious violence, came to a conclusion with a conference on 28 September 2017 in Brussels, aimed at disseminating project findings.

During the conference the project’s final report, that includes a questionnaire assessing the procedural, reception, health and social needs of victims of torture and/or serious violence, was launched. During this conference presentations from the project partners and representatives from MSF Italy, EASO, the Directorate General for Home Affairs, Medecins du Monde and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims looked at the current state of play of the implementation of the Common European Asylum System with regards to torture and the way forward for improving the protection of torture victims in law and practice.

The open discussions following the presentations elicited insightful perspectives from different actors and stakeholders about the obstacles, challenges and solutions for enhancing the protection and care of this vulnerable population.

The project’s report can be freely downloaded here containing an overview of national procedures for identifying the needs of refugees victims of torture and/or serious violence (where national procedures exist), and the Common Basic Standards for such identification, realised through the project.

The project was co-funded by the European Union.

Dr. Julian Caruana

#maltaunderthreat as activist blogger is brutally assassinated: joint NGO statement

MGRM, aditus Foundation, Integra Foundation, the Critical Institute and the Platform of Human Rights Organisation in Malta extend their condolences to the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia and express their concern at the threat to freedom of speech that her violent murder poses.

We urge the government to ensure that law enforcement are adequately resourced to conduct the necessary investigations and to do all in their power to bring those responsible to justice.

Given that it has been reported that in the past days Daphne Caruana Galizia reported threats on her life, we also request an independent inquiry into whether the police took the requisite measures to protect the victim and whether this outcome could have been averted.

Memoirs of a Legal Intern!

Looking back at my internship and stay in Malta it’s hard to believe that I had some hesitations before I took the decision to spend four months there. I can now say with complete confidence that I have no regrets and I’m really happy for all that I learned and experienced during this time.

What eventually attracted me to Malta, apart from great weather and beautiful views, was an exceptional activity of various NGOs around the Platform of Human Rights and their engagement in defending and promoting human rights.

So at aditus , where I finally worked for four months, I had a chance to contribute to various projects – I was assisting in research for the ATLAS project on legal aid in Malta, I was helping with conducting interviews and research for the Annual Human Rights Report and I was engaged in fitness check about the compliance of Maltese law with EU directives, amongst others.

I also had an opportunity to participate in various training and seminars as well as take part in meetings with other Maltese NGO’s and stakeholders.

Now, I am so glad that I had a chance to work at aditus and to see how a small group of such dedicated people can make a difference to life of people who are in distress. aditus` work shows that advocating and fighting for rights of people in need, regardless of their colour, religion, gender identity or nationality can really change the situation of everyone whose rights are violated.

My internship at aditus confirmed my wish to specialize in human rights law, so I am now continuing my studies in this area and I hope to work in human rights organization in the future.

However, my four months in Malta were not only about working. I can say that during this time I gained the whole “Maltese experience”. I was freezing at the beginning and suffering from the heat later on, spent a lot of time in traffic jams, ate more pastizzi than I should have, tried a rabbit dish, travelled across Malta and Gozo and swam in Blue Lagoon.

Malta might be a small island but for sure it is not a place where you can get bored and the beautiful views and amazing beaches can reward all the stuff that can sometimes annoy you.

I want to thank everyone with whom I worked at aditus – Neil, Carla, Claire, Antonella and all the interns, for everything I learned and for the great time I had. The atmosphere at work was extremely friendly and lively. I was lucky to be part of their team for four months and for sure I will miss our talks and lunches on the terrace. Continue the great work you are doing and I hope that we’ll meet again soon!

Marina Kopacz

Read more about internships with us!

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:

Civil Society and Democracy;
Youth Narratives and Youth experiences with Racism, Marginalisation, xenophobia.
Youth as Political Citizens,
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:

to change the discourse on migration by mainstreaming the topics of human rights, dignity and protection into public discussions;
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

Join our youth project on refugee & migrant integration! #YouthNotStatus

Are you aged between 18 and 30 (or thereabouts!)?

Would you like to have your say on refugee and migrant integration?

Are you curious about how refugee and migrant youth experience Malta?

On Wednesday we’re launching your ERASMUS+ project Youth, Not Status, through which we’ll be exploring integration from a youth perspective. As its title implies, the project is not interested in the participants’ statuses, but wants to focus on their age and how this shapes their world views.

Youth, Not Status will organise a number of sessions where participants will be encouraged to interact, engage and discuss integration issues…with the ultimate aim of familiarising themselves with the theme and of shaping their own perspectives.

We’ll be exploring human rights, youth activism, EU dimensions, diversity, story-telling and many other elements.

Join us, or spread the word! For more information contact Antonella Sgobbo (antonellasgobbo@aditus.org.mt).

Information on Wednesday’s information session can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/312038969206435/