Editorial

The phenomenon of migration and immigration dates back to the time, long past, when man decided to up sticks and seek new pastures, new breeding environments. In modern times, if one looks only at the 20th century, one witnesses massive movements of populations away from aggressors and battlefields - for the most part in the direction of the United States, where the Statue of Liberty beckoned. Few chose to migrate eastwards from Europe to the Soviet Union, fearing a worse form of slavery.

Emigration and immigration in a global world have created problems. Many countries have ceased to be host countries in the finest sense of the word, but receiving countries with many questions to ask before immigrants are allowed to take up residence and citizenship.

Among modern immigrants there are those who are genuine asylum seekers, others who are wanting to improve their economic condition because the land in which they live creates difficulties for them to lead normal lives, others still whose motive in seeking "new pastures" in the wake of the troubling phenomenon of terrorism, is suspect. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is quite specific on the matter and is adamant about one group. Article 14 states that, "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution".

The problem for a host country is to sift the chaff from the wheat and to see just how many immigrants, legal or illegal, it can absorb into its economic body. In Malta, the problem of illegal immigration has now been with us for a few years. The number of immigrants that have found their way to our shores, often unwittingly, has been large.

At first, some of our mechanisms for dealing with the influx were faulty, some reactions to the presence of these unfortunates negative, some were totally lacking in charity and compassion even for genuine cases. Initially, in short, we were not equipped to deal with the problem, but we have come a long way since it all started.

Helping us along has been the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). For its pain the JRS had nine of its vehicles burnt by some racist elements. The car of its lawyer, Katrine Camilleri, suffered the same fate and her family was terrorised by cowardly arsonists who also torched the front door of her house.

Undaunted, Dr Camilleri continued with her tireless efforts on behalf of refugees in Malta, providing access to crucial legal services for them and working on behalf of asylum seekers to obtain access to justice and to seeking, as far as it was in her power, or that of the JRS, to seek redress for any violations they suffered. Hers is not a cushy job.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has recognised "her outstanding contribution through JRS in the protection and assistance to refugees" and honoured her with the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award. In thus being honoured she joined recipients that include Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Medecins Sans Frontiers.

The donors of the award, which includes a $100,000 grant from Norway and Switzerland (Dr Camilleri will use the money to expand the legal service provided by JRS) recognised "her exceptional dedication to the refugee cause and her outstanding contribution through JRS in the protection and assistance to refugees". The committee noted "the tireless efforts of Dr Camilleri... and (was) impressed by the political courage she has shown in dealing with the refugee system in Malta".

Malta should be, is, proud of her and the JRS.