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Well Done Prime Minister, But Now Let’s Really Sink The ‘Ship Of Hate’

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In a world where leaders seem to be racing to the bottom in their attempts to satiate the anti-migrant crowd, Joseph Muscat’s recent decision to deny entry into Malta of a ship whose mission was to stop asylum seekers reaching Europe comes as a breath of fresh air.  

The Maltese Prime Minister’s true position on immigration issues has long been ambivalent – going from pledging to push migrants back to Libya to describing that move as his greatest mistake, going from warning about the long-term dangers of ghettoisation and racism to casually brushing off concerns at the detention of a group of failed asylum seekers. 

Yet by refusing entry to the C-Star vessel, branded by the European Parliament as a ‘ship of hate’, Muscat looks to have set a clear demarcation line, in that it is the first time he has challenged the far-right so harshly, going so far as to brand them “Nazis”. 

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Human rights campaigner Maria Pisani

Now eyes will be on him to see whether he is ready to put his money where his mouth is and tackle the many problems faced by asylum seekers and refugees in his own home country.

Lovin Malta spoke to sociologist and human rights campaigner Maria Pisani, founder of the Integra Foundation human rights NGO, to get a handle on five of the most pressing immigration-related concerns.

1. Where is that integration policy? 

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It was back in 2014 when the government set up a unit to assess the integration of migrants in Malta ahead of the launch of a national integration policy. Yet nothing concrete has yet materialised three years down the line, although civil liberties minister Helena Dalli recently said it will be published by the end of the year.

“We are eager to see what this integration policy will produce in reality,” Maria Pisani said. “It’s a necessity, because the fact is Malta is multicultural country.”

2. Rising rent prices are out of control

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Rent prices in Malta have increased dramatically in recent years, squeezing more and more people out of the market. As this advert from the website of a popular real estate agency shows, a one-bedroom apartment in Qawra is now going for €600 a month. 

Of course, this is a problem for Maltese and migrants on low and average income alike but, unlike Maltese people, migrants often don’t have support networks of families to fall back on if their finances take a turn for the sour.  

“People are being discriminated against socially in the rental market, and migrants and Maltese people are struggling to find an affordable place to rent,” Pisani said. 

3. People should not be left hanging in legal limbo 

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Over 1,000 migrants who have settled down in Malta are living in a state of limbo due to constant uncertainty over their legal status. The government this year suspended Temporary Humanitarian Protection-New (THPn), an annually renewable status for failed asylum seekers who cannot yet be deported, and gave the migrants the incredibly tough task of obtaining documentation from their home countries by the end of October to regularise themselves. 

In the wake of protests, home affairs minister Carmelo Abela dispelled fears the migrants will be deported and promised “new, administrative details”. However, those details are yet to be published and the October deadline is fast approaching…

Moreover, Pisani warned migrants with no protection status at all have been living in Malta for years but are still legally in line for deportation. 

“I recently met a painter who has been working and paying tax for many years, but he is still awaiting deportation,” she said. “These people need peace of mind, it is inhumane to keep them hanging for years.”

4. Give Migrants Access To Bank Accounts 

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Because most asylum seekers arrive without any documentation, they are consequently not allowed to open bank accounts in Malta. They are consequently forced to only take up jobs which pay them in hard cash and have to carry their earnings around with them or store them away. 

“There are so many things we take for granted because we have bank accounts, and people with documentation cannot begin to understand how the lack of a bank account can affect you on a daily basis,” Pisani said. “They often have to carry their money on them which comes with its own security threats and cannot take out loans. It is such a destructive problem.”

5. Clamp Down On ‘Institutionalised’ Racism 

Racism

A more pervasive problem which keeps rising its head occasionally is racism, a problem Pisani warns is “institutionalised” in Maltese society. 

“We recently heard of that case whereby a man refused to be served at a restaurant by a teenage Maltese waiter from an ethnic minority,” she said. “Yesterday, a client told me he had paid a landlord a deposit for his rent but the rent deal was cancelled and the deposit never paid back. There’s this mentality in Malta that we can treat people like shit just because they’re black and don’t have the contacts Maltese people do.” 

6. Help Save Refugees From Libyan Hellhole Camps

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Not too far away from Malta’s shores, sub-saharan African refugees who weren’t lucky enough to even make the crossing to Europe are living in horrendous conditions in Libyan refugee camps. Indeed, a recent UN report warned women and children are being beaten, raped, forced into prostitution and starved in overcrowded detention centres.

“The EU is working on a containment approach, but the situation in those camps is hellish and these people need safe and legal access to Europe,” Pisani said.

Do you know of any other problems migrants are facing in Malta? Let us know in the comments section

READ NEXT: Anti-Migrant Ship Draws Protests From Maltese Activists

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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