Director

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.

#solidaritywalkwithmigrants

‘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.

Joint NGO Statement on the non-renewal of Temporary Humanitarian Protection N status

We are extremely concerned at the arbitrary decision taken by the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security to suspend the renewal of Temporary Humanitarian Protection N (THPN) pending a review of this status by the Ministry.

This decision has effectively stripped men, women and children of their identity documentation with severe implications on their ability to access employment, healthcare, education and other basic services.

Overnight, and without a clear plan of action, the Ministry has thrown people into the dark about their future by robbing them of the little security THPN provided. The Ministry must be made aware of the human consequences of this decision, whereby rights granted are being unfairly and cruelly withdrawn.

Whilst we welcome, in principle, a review of THPN status, we urgently call on the Ministry to:

Immediately revoke the decision to suspend renewals of THPN status;
Reinstate the suspended THPN;
Engage in dialogue with NGOs, including migrant communities, on the review of THPN.

Background Note

In 2008 the Office of the Refugee Commissioner established Temporary Humanitarian Protection N (THPN), as a form of regularization granted in cases where “a former applicant for international protection cannot be returned to his/her country of origin due to legal or factual reasons, and through no fault of his/her own.”

THPN applicants were required to fulfil integration-related criteria, such as employment, independent housing and payment of fiscal contributions. THPN granted beneficiaries identity documentation, enabling them to have facilitated access to employment, healthcare and education.

To a certain degree, THPN introduced an element of stability and restored some dignity, enabling beneficiaries to play an active role and contribute to Maltese society.

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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, 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.