A new report on racism in Europe highlights the problems and abuse being faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Malta, particularly where it comes to employment.
The study, released yesterday in Brussels by the European Network Against Racism (Enar), reports that migrants and asylum seekers are being exploited and offered illegal jobs by Maltese employers while being paid half the normal rate given to Maltese workers. The report also claims that in certain instances migrants are not being paid at all.
"Throughout 2006, reports continued of immigrants being employed illegally and of exploitation in the workplace.
"In most cases, it was up to people working with migrants (especially people managing open centres) to chase employers to pay the migrants while many migrants, either due to the fact that they were illegally employed or due to fear of victimisation, often avoided taking action. Very often, the wages paid to migrants fell below the minimum salary established by law," the report says.
Some NGOs also reported to the report compilers that migrants are very often not given the same conditions of work as their Maltese co-workers. Some are made to work longer hours while others are not given the necessary gear and equipment needed for a particular job.
"In one such case, an individual was asked to handle kerosene without any gloves, leading to the person suffering skin injuries. Many more such incidents occur regularly and often go unreported. Illegal employment also places migrants in a situation where they do not enjoy any benefits in case of injury or unjust treatment."
The report states that racism in Malta is on the rise with migrants being "the community most vulnerable to racism".
It criticises the way illegal immigrants are being treated, particularly through the detention centres system.
"Conditions in detention centres for migrants were appalling and came under strong criticism from various actors including the UNHCR, the European Parliament, Amnesty International and other organisations. A new open centre was set up consisting of tents where migrants leaving detention were housed," it said.
Other factors indicating increased racism mentioned in the report include the number of arson attacks carried out throughout 2006 affecting people who either work with migrants or who had expressed themselves in favour of the rights of migrants and against racism and the fact that migrants are denied access to buses, bars and discos.
On the other hand, Enar reports some positive developments taken by the authorities to combat racism.
"During 2006, there were no actions towards the implementation of the EU Race Equality Directive, though parts of the directive were implemented in the first half of 2007. Up until the end of 2006, the directive's implementation was limited to the field of employment and no equality body had been set up. By the end of the year, the government was in the process of setting up an organisation to address the integration and welfare of asylum seekers.
"The organisation was officially launched in February 2007. New legal provisions were developed 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, authored by Jean-Pierre Gauci, representing Enar Malta, recommends that concrete action should be taken by the government and all parties involved to eliminate discrimination in all its forms, especially racism, and that there should be increased investment in capacity building for organisations working in the area. Ten Maltese NGOs are members of the European Network Against Racism. These are the Maltese group of Amnesty International, the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Independent Media Centre Malta, Ideal International, Integra Foundation, the Jesuit Refugee Service, the Malta Gay Rights Movement, Moviment Graffiti, Suret il-Bniedem Foundation and the Third World Group.