Claudine Cassar | Sunday, 28 June 2009

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Setting them up for failure

Over the last few weeks we have heard about several migrants who have been handed eviction notices from the open centres. They have been told that they must move out of the tent city in order to make space for new arrivals. Some of them are currently sleeping on the streets and in public gardens – they have no toilet facilities, nowhere to wash, and nothing to eat.
The evictees include children as young as one.
The situation is going to get worse come the 1st July when more evictions will take place – a stream of migrants is going to end up homeless, roaming about with nowhere to go.
The open centres are meant as a temporary residence for migrants who have been given humanitarian status. During this period of time, ranging from 12 to 16 months, people living in an open centre are expected to find a job and a home, in order to be able to fend for themselves.
The reality, however, is that the great majority of them are finding it very difficult, if not impossible, to find employment. They end up working illegally, standing around every morning at Marsa, waiting for someone to pick them up and pay them a pittance for a day’s work. Obviously under these circumstances they simply cannot afford to rent an apartment and pay their own way.
It is clear that the open centres cannot cope with the influx of migrants, and allowing them to continue living there indefinitely is not the solution. We do not want to end up with thousands of institutionalised migrants who sit and do nothing all day. However, throwing them out into the street is definitely not the way to go, either!
The people who have received eviction notices include young men, single mothers, and children. I ask you this – if you end up homeless, with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep, what would you do? If you are a single mother, how would you feed your child? I know I would do whatever it takes, anything at all, to ensure the wellbeing of my children – and I assume that so will they.
With practically no way of earning a living legally, these people are going to have no choice other than to resort to crime and prostitution in order to survive. It is morally reprehensible that the State is putting these people in this position. The authorities clearly have to re-think this situation, in order to avoid unleashing a tsunami of petty crime upon the population.
This situation is ridiculous and totally unacceptable. What system do we have in place to follow up on these migrants, helping them through the difficult transition they go through when they move out of the open centre and into the real world? What help is there to find employment and housing? What controls are in place to ensure that children are safeguarded?
At the end of the day it is in everyone’s interest to help these people to integrate into society and earn a living. The support should start from day 1. As soon as the migrants receive humanitarian status, and enter the open centre, they should receive training and support to get ready for the real world. I am not talking rocket science here – but basic language training, and useful skills which will help them find a job.
Every time I drive by Marsa and see trucks picking up the migrants loitering at various corners and roundabouts, I always think to myself – why don’t they regulate it? This phenomenon is not restricted to Malta – other countries have experienced it too, and they have found solutions. In the UK, for example, they set up a Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA). This agency regulates the supply of workers to a number of industries that require temporary employees. It prevents the exploitation of workers, enforces health and safety standards, and works to eliminate illegal employment.
A number of ‘Gangmaster’ businesses have now emerged in the UK. These are licensed by the Authority and they provide a pool of workers who can be employed for temporary jobs in sectors such as agriculture and construction. In other words, if a construction company needs extra workers for a particular project, they approach a licensed ‘Gangmaster’ company, which provides people for the job. The workers are paid a fair wage, and can therefore live a decent life.
This setup is particularly important when it comes to women. Let’s get real, what self-respecting woman would want to stand by the side of the street waiting for someone to stop and offer her a job? What kinds of opportunities are likely to come her way? How likely is it that some housewife is going to stop and offer her a job cleaning the house? Or some farmer will stop and offer her a stint of fruit picking? It is therefore fundamental to create a channel for these women to find work. Decent work.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? So why on earth don’t we do it then?
Of course at the end of the day we are still left with the problem that we are a small country, and that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to absorb thousands of refugees. Therefore it is vital that Government continues to put pressure on the EU to make burden-sharing mandatory. Once a mandatory burden-sharing mechanism comes into action, the problem will belong to each and every one of the 27 member states. It is said that a problem shared is a problem halved, well in our case our problem would become 1/27th of the size it is today!
It is also important to press forward with plans to set up an EU/UNHCR asylum office in Libya. Once this is in place, prospective refugees would not need to get into a boat to get to Malta. They would be able to walk over to the office in Libya and make their application there. If they are granted humanitarian protection, they would go directly to Germany, France, or wherever – they would not have to come to Malta first. This solution would be wonderful for two reasons. First of all because the migrants would not need to embark on a dangerous journey by boat, risking their lives in the process; and secondly because the burden on Malta would be reduced considerably.
In the meantime, however, it is our responsibility to treat these people with respect, and to help them in any way we can. Anything less than that would be shameful.

www.claudinecassar.com

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