NGO report stresses need to portray migrants in a more positive light

The detention of migrants is one of the factors contributing to the growing image of these people as criminals and as constituting a security threat, a shadow report by the European Network Against Racism (Enar) concludes.

At the same time, denying media access to detention centres to report on conditions there hinders journalists from informing the public of what is really going on, something that could help dispel xenophobic and racist sentiments.

As some NGOs have observed, the majority of the Maltese population is xenophobic rather than outright racist, so the two measures mentioned above would achieve a lot in practice, the Enar report said.

The Enar says its shadow reports are produced to fill the gaps in the official and academic data, to offer an alternative to that data and to offer an NGO perspective on the realities of racism in EU member states. NGO reports are, by their nature, based on many sources of data: Official, unofficial, academic and experiential.

According to Enar, another priority the government needs to address is to balance action in managing illegal immigration with concrete measures aimed at integrating those already present in Malta.

Moreover, there is an evermore imminent need to train people working with asylum seekers and to have civilians and not army officers running detention camps.

The shadow report about Malta (for the period January to December 2006) covers issues such as employment, access to goods and services, and racism as a crime.

Various improvements were noted in the report while some issues remained outstanding from the previous report.

The report welcomes the clarification of the access to health care for asylum seekers while noting that the language barrier remained a major problem in effective access.

It also highlighted how problems in the sphere of employment still remained, with migrants being paid less for equal work when compared to what a Maltese national gets.

The arson attacks that took place last year on NGOs, journalists and other individuals somehow linked to the anti-racist and migrants' rights camp were condemned by the report.

It acknowledges the fact that these attacks were deplored by all - the government, NGOs and individuals alike.

The report further acknowledges the introduction of new legal provisions with regard to racism as a crime, whereby racial motivation is considered to be an aggravating circumstance for a number of offences including wilful offences against the person.

The report notes that the issue of migration in Malta is surrounded by various stereotypes and misconceptions and many people fear migrants on the basis of wrong or incomplete information.

As a result, NGOs feel that one of the key priorities is the need for more awareness-raising on the part of the government with the aim of portraying immigrants in a more positive light.

The Enar is a Europe-wide network of organisations working to combat racism in Europe.

Copies of the report can be obtained from www.enar-eu.org/en/national/malta/Malta_2006.pdf.