Minors are still being kept within the detention centres, despite a number of EU regulations making it illegal to do so. Individuals under the age of 18 are being kept at the centre until their age is verified, a process which may take up to two weeks. This was confirmed by Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia during parliamentary session on Monday, after being questioned by Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg.
The main problem lies in the fact that these minors are thought to be kept in the same area as adults, which is not in accordance to European Union policies. The regulations specifically state that minors should be separated from adults, to protect them from traffickers and smugglers, and detention centres should only be used in exceptional situations.
Families with children are thought to be staying at the far end of the detention centres, close to the Peace Laboratory, at Hal Far. The area is out of limits for visitors of the detention centres. This newspaper visited the area, and noticed the area is indeed occupied.
In 2013, the Committee of the Right of the Child urged Malta to completely cease the detention of irregular migrant children and to accommodate them in community based context, until their status is determined. It said that age assessments should only be undertaken in cases which are doubtful.
Initially, age assessments were being carried out by measuring thickness of the bones, a process which could take several weeks or even months. Recently, however, the system has been changed to one which is more efficient, and which takes a maximum of two weeks. In the meantime, the minors are being kept at the detention centres. Upon being rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta, an individual can undergo an age assessment if he or she declares to be a child. The assessments are carried out by the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum (AWAS). If it is clear that the individual is under 18, then procedure is fast tracked. This takes longer for teenagers who may look older than their age. Minors are then removed from the detention centres and placed in an open centre facility. A legal guardian is appointed.
In 2003, 443 of the 2,008 people who arrived in Malta by boat were unaccompanied children, comprising 22% of all arrivals. Across the European Union, 12,690 unaccompanied minors submitted an asylum application.
During the parliamentary hearing, Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg proposed the introduction of a reception centre, as proposed by the UNHCR and the IOM. The reception centre would serve as the initial host building for irregular immigrants arriving in Malta. There, initial information would be established, such as the origin of the migrants, documentation, and age of unaccompanied minors. From there, they would be streamed accordingly and in this way, procedures will be fast tracked.