The Emigrants Commission had total running expenses of Lm22,392 in 2005 in connection with the accommodation and day-to-day needs of refugees who have settled in Malta.
In 2005, costs for water and electricity, repairs and maintenance, rent, baby milk, detergents, medication, stationery, transport and phone bills amounted to Lm22,392, said Dr Ruth Farrugia during a seminar at the Emigrants’ Commission yesterday.
She also gave a breakdown of immigrants who have now settled in Malta. Balzan houses a total of 152 immigrants while Gwardamangia comes in second with 56 and Valletta third with 43.
To show how much money goes into these places, Dr Farrugia explained that the Balzan district alone cost some Lm41,000 in maintenance, fittings, repairs, electricity and plumbing, tiling and labour.
Meanwhile, director Alfred Vella said that the irregular immigration situation had put everyone in the same boat. “The Emigrants Commission has always tried to work with those who have had to move or have been moved from their own country. The African continent sees big injustices, lack of government and exploitation of every form and manner.”
He said that this was the main reason that people leave their troubled lives in Africa to seek a better life in Europe, even though they actually put their own lives in danger by doing so. “But once they get here, they face other troubles: investigation, detention and, often, discrimination because of the colour of their skin.”
President Mgr Philip Calleja said that one of the major problems faced by immigrants in Malta is that of trying to reunite their families. He said that there were some 73 cases involving some 248 people who are still in Africa.
Mgr Calleja said that it must be extremely difficult to make such decisions because it would mean having to let others into an already stretched country. “But if one looks at it objectively – the situation is inhumane and unjust. We all need to talk to find some sort of solution to this dilemma,” he said.
One possible solution, said Mgr Calleja, could be resettlement. In 2002, Malta began seeing the arrival of the boat people and in that year alone some 1,600 people arrived. “No passport, no identity documents and this is where the problems started. Malta was not ready for the influx and we found no help from other countries,” he said.
“And we must also bear in mind that Malta is an isolated and very densely populated island. Only 35 years ago, we were regarded as a sending country because some 4,000 people every year used to try and leave the country in search of a better life,” he said.
Mgr Calleja said that one suggestion was for the UNHCR (bearing in mind Malta’s situation) to recommend that immigrant-accepting countries could alleviate the burden by accepting refugees who have a family member in the said host country who could put a roof over their head and help them integrate.
He also touched on the point of failed asylum applications. He pointed out that it is very often impossible to send people back to their countries as they will face persecution and perhaps worse. He said that there was also a fine line between those not deemed to have a justified claim for asylum and those who might face the issues mentioned above. Perhaps, said Mgr Calleja, a new classification could be added: “persons of concern” who, although not qualifying for asylum, could apply for resettlement in another country. Mgr Calleja said he was not trying to rock the boat but merely wanted to find responsible and practical solutions to the problems at hand.