On the recent occasion of World Refugee Day 2016 Jesuit Refugee Service Malta, aditus foundation, Integra Foundation and the Malta Emigrants' Commission underlined the need to allow refugees safe and legal access to protection.
To highlight the urgency of this call, JRS Europe launched 'Journeys of Hope', a collection of personal encounters with men, women and children as they hope, yet struggle, to reach European safety.
Maltese journalist and long-time JRS writer Danielle Vella, together with award-winning photojournalist Darrin Zammit Lupi, travelled alongside refugees in Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and in Italy, Austria and Germany. The testimonies collected during the journey are a true testament to the hope, courage and resilience of those who, against all odds, are seeking protection in Europe.
Importantly, it talks about the dangerous journeys they must take in order to survive.
Subsidiary protection, like refugee status, acknowledges that it is impossible for beneficiaries to return back to their homes. It is renewed every three years for as long as is necessary. Many subsidiary protection beneficiaries have been living in Malta for several years.
Fatumo, for example, has been living in Malta for six years. Malta believes she does not qualify for refugee status, yet has granted her subsidiary protection on the basis of the conflict that has been tearing Somalia apart for the past 20 years. Her three children are living with her sister in Kenya, but life in the refugee camp is extremely tough and their futures uncertain. Fatumo doubts she'll ever see her children again.
Mohamed, meanwhile, chose not to risk his life by getting on the little boats leaving Libya. Instead, and because he had the means to, he obtained a false Libyan passport and used it to fly to Malta. Upon arrival he was arrested, and subsequently faced criminal charges in Court. He was found guilty and sentenced to six months imprisonment. A young Libyan man, Mohamed felt he had to flee Libya in order to survive.
Originally published as a series of weekly dispatches on the JRS Europe website, Journeys of Hope is published today as an 80-page full-colour booklet with an introduction and afterword by JRS Europe regional director Jean-Marie Carrière, SJ.
"This collection of refugee testimonies provides true testament to the hope, courage and openness with which refugees arrived in Europe in the first few months of this year. It should act as a key reference point to guide Europe's continued response to refugees as needs and political circumstances change," said Carrière.
In early 2016, up to 2,000 people in need of protection arrived from Turkey to Greece on a daily basis. These women, children and men travelled across numerous physical, mental and legal obstacles to reach north-western Europe as quickly as they could, mostly Germany and Sweden. Even during this period, crossing borders was a deadly game and many accidents and deaths occurred.
Now, since national governments have moved to close their borders and the agreement between the EU and Turkey, people in need of international protection are forced to turn to ever more dangerous and precarious ways of reaching Europe.
"Let's listen to the voices of the refugees, so that we will better understand, with our minds and with our hearts, the strong hope of people who have plunged into the unknown, just to seek peace and freedom and to save life," concludes Carrière.