NGOs: Abolish ‘useless and unjust detention centres’
David Darmanin Moviment Graffitti spokesperson Andre Callus yesterday said detention centres in Malta were “useless and unjust” and a “waste of financial and human resources”.
Representatives of Moviment Graffitti, Migrants’ Solidarity Movement, Jesuit Refugee Service, Third World Group, Moviment Azzjoni Xellug (MAX), Kopin, Alternattiva Demokratika Zghazagh and Zminijietna last night slept in a tent fenced by wire at City Gate, in solidarity with migrants imprisoned at the detention centres in Safi and Ta’ Kandja.
The shabby tent, intended to symbolise the appalling state of Malta’s closed detention centres, was already set up by yesterday morning, creating an unusual attraction for passers-by on their way to Republic Street for Christmas shopping.
Information leaflets were distributed to onlookers, who – according to the organisers – “have not been very negative about the idea of doing away with detention centres.” Callus however stressed the need for the public to become more familiar with the issue: to “know the difference between open centres and detention centres”, and to be more informed about the inhumane conditions in which the persons inhabiting the latter are currently living in.
“The detention system in Malta is creating unnecessary suffering,” Callus said. “People’s liberty is arbitrarily being taken away when they are locked up for a maximum of 18 months in small spaces with lack of hygiene, limited access to medical care, lack of fresh air and complete uncertainty about their situation and their future.”
Conditions at the centres, Callus added, are causing physical and “severe mental damage”, not only to those staying there for the 18-month maximum period, but even to those staying there for a shorter time.
“Migrants are not detained at centres because they have committed any crime – in fact, the detention system has nothing to do with Malta’s criminal code. It is simply an administrative system,” he said. “Above all, we cannot understand the reasons for the use of a detention system.”
Callus explained that Malta is rarely the first choice for the vast majority of migrants, as many are brought to the island after encountering difficulties on their way to Italy. Therefore, he said, it is a misconception that detention centres act as a deterrent for people to come to Malta. “With or without detention centres, we would still have the same number of immigrants,” he said.
“The argument that detention is needed for the identification of persons does not hold water,” Callus continued. “Identification may be more effective if this process is carried out at a controlled open centre – where migrants who are interviewed are not subject to the stress and psychological conditions of living in an open centre.”
Callus dismissed the argument that detention centres somehow prevent terrorism, saying that “people who travel with criminal intentions use documents. They do not travel on rickety boats, with a high possibility of drowning.”
All eight organisations highlighted the fact that detention centres leave an impression on the native Maltese communities that immigrants are dangerous criminals. “Even at hospital, we see detained migrants being escorted by the police while handcuffed,” Callus said.
The perception of detainees is believed to contribute to the presence of racism and xenophobia in Malta, the organisations stated.
While launching a strong appeal for the authorities to revise Malta’s detention policy, the eight organisations said that while the system is in place, the time migrants spend in detention should be drastically reduced; the conditions inside detention centres improved, and vulnerable groups – such as pregnant women, children, persons with disabilities and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder – are housed elsewhere.
“I think the authorities know that it would make more sense to remove detention centres altogether, but then there is political rhetoric... and that is a different story,” Callus said.
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