Migrants In Malta Are Sleeping In Construction Sites And Giving Sexual Favours To Pay Rent
Migrants in Malta are “homeless but not roofless”, moving from one place to another in unstable dwellings like construction sites… and being forced to pay rent for it.
This worrying fact was discussed in the launch of the YMCA’s new white paper on Homelessness, Migration and Inclusion, which also revealed that some earn less than €10,000 a year, less than half the average national wage of €21,000.
This is particularly concerning considering the global rising costs of living.
YMCA, which runs homeless shelters, warned that this was just the tip of the iceberg of housing discrimination faced by migrants living on the islands.
Some are trapped in abusive employment or facing landlords who spike their rent prices rapidly, leaving them no choice of staying put in fear of losing their status.
Certain women, the platform warned, are even resorting to sexual favours to landlords and employers to help pay their rent.
YMCA issued a list of recommendations for the government to address this situation, which they referred to as “modern-day slavery”.
It recommended putting a cap on rent and housing to reduce the soaring costs of rent, renovating abandoned houses and launching an effective revenue mobilisation for the housing market in order to generate resources needed for renovation.
Does the government need to step up to address this crisis?
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