On Thursday I covered the day’s protests by irregular immigrants in the compounds at Safi and Hal Far.

It is easy to get on with daily life and forget that there are about 2,000 human beings cooped up in detention centres. Whatever people’s views are, one cannot deny the fact that these young men, many of them younger than me, are being held in detention for seeking a better life.

The purpose of this article is not to debate whether detention is the right system – that is the law and only Parliament can change that. But what I am trying to say is that these people deserve a little more than we give them. This does not mean designer clothes, five-star meals or the like... It is much more basic and easier than that.

I had the pleasure of meeting five men – Joseph from Liberia, TJ from Ghana, Taklab from Eritrea, Yussef from Ethiopia and Mohammed from Sudan – Darfur to be precise. Their basic gripe is of course that they want freedom, and who can argue with that. If I were in their position I would want to be free too. But a myth must be dispelled here; many seem to believe that asylum seekers want to join the community straightaway, which is not the case. They understand they must be processed, but they want it done quicker. Yussef and Joseph have both been in detention for eight months and have not even had a hearing before the Refugee Commission yet. They said it should not take so long.

Joseph is only 19 – yet he was one of the main protestors who kept his cool – true, he stuck to his guns and demanded that he speak to the press, but he calmed other detainees down and when he did protest, he simply held up his placard (with his face showing, unlike others). He showed a maturity way beyond his years and managed to handle a situation that many negotiators would not manage. The press agreed to speak to a few representatives on condition the other detainees returned to their quarters; he was the one that managed to get them all back inside.

Joseph said the soldiers’ treatment of them inside the camp was good. And I witnessed this for myself. Soldiers at Safi handled the situation well the other day, a protest is what it is and people do get excited. When this happened, the soldiers – without helmets, batons or shields – simply closed ranks. When the excitement subsided, they broke ranks and relaxed – a far cry from the way things were dealt with just a couple of years ago.

Of course, one must also hear their side of the story – just seven soldiers guarding hundreds of immigrants at nighttime is not adequate.

But back to the story – I asked Joseph and company what they did to pass the time. He gave a wide smile and said: “We play football on a stony and rocky ground and we watch TV. Period. All day, every day.”

I asked him if they had anything else to do. “No. Nothing at all. We talk, we chat, we just sit and hope that one day they tell us we can stay in Malta or continue on our journey,” he said.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was a 19-year-old boy; I am almost 10 years older and I could not help but wonder what I would do in his place. I asked him what could help: “Restoring our dignity and keeping ourselves occupied for one thing, the football ‘pitch’ we play on is not good – you can get hurt. It is also much too small,” he said. “The majority of immigrants would also like to learn Maltese. We want to learn Maltese because it is important. We want to fit in. We want to speak to the soldiers in Maltese. And for those who want to stay – they can learn the language before setting out in Maltese life,” he said.

TJ went one further to help dispel the myth that these people are free loaders. “I can speak good English and a little Maltese. Personally I would like to go to Europe. But why not offer basic skills training for those people who will stay in Malta. They could take mechanics programmes at the barracks, they could learn other basic skills. That way, Malta would have skilled labourers coming straight into the market, rather than having people who are a burden on society,” he said.

What must be asked is, would it be that hard to build these guys a decent football pitch? Would it do so much harm to give them a Maltese teacher? Would it be that bad if workshops were set up in the camps? No matter what we do, these people will protest and they will try to escape. But if we give them a bit more to do and speed up the process they might be more accepting of the detention policy.

They recognise that they must be processed. But we are talking about people of dozens of nationalities and different beliefs being cooped up in a detention centre. Their main problem is boredom and frustration. Giving them something to do to occupy their minds as well as their bodies will help all concerned. It might just be a football pitch and a ball we are talking about – but it would do a whole world of good. If leagues are organised, it would also allow immigrants to see that things are done differently in Europe – it would be a learning curve.

The guards also recognise the benefits. One said: “They need to be kept occupied. Many are in the prime of life and need something to do. However, I just wish they would be more receptive and accept the European way of doing things.” TJ is a snazzy character – although he does not wear the kind of clothes our 23- and 24-year-olds take for granted – he makes an effort to match his colours, braid his hair and try to have a semblance of normal life although he lives behind a fence. When I left the barracks he grasped my arm and said: “Life is so sweet. Yet it is nothing without freedom.” Yussef, Mohammed and Taklab also amazed me. These guys are stuck behind this fence that has become their home and you would think that their only thought would be to get out. But no, it isn’t. They were trying to explain the problems in their homelands and the plight of their countrymen in war-torn Eritrea and Sudan. Yussef said he was part of a minority group that was attempting to gain independence from Ethiopia. They showed a strength you have to see to believe.

I went home that night and made my mind up. The very least these guys deserve is a football pitch. Football is the one thing that keeps them occupied. I am not trying to preach, but I’m sure that such a simple gesture would help in the long run.