Destiny without a past

They were saved from the sea two weeks ago, but the identity of Victoria and Destiny seems to have been lost somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Victoria, who is believed to be around six months old, was discharged from hospital yesterday and joined toddler Destiny at the Ursuline Crèche in Sliema where a third immigrant baby - one-year-old Blessing - is also being cared for.

But questions about the two small children remain, with the authorities still in the dark as to who they are, and whether or not their parents are still alive.

It has been established that the woman caring for them died as she crossed over from Africa in a bid to reach European soil, a Home Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

The sparse information available makes it difficult to determine if the two are siblings. Even their names are understood to have been given to them here because of the lack of information about their proper names.

According to the spokesman, it is hard to determine the infants' age but Sister Stefania Caruana, who takes care of children at the Crèche said Victoria looks to be around six months old while Destiny looks about two years old.

She said Destiny was doing well, playing with the other children as if she had known them for a long time. The child is protected by a care order.

Asked whether any of the other migrants travelling on the same boat had given the authorities details about the two children, the spokesman said this was not the case.

The girls' story is similar to that of Blessing, who was saved from a sinking boat last June. Both her parents and brother are thought to have drowned during the fateful journey.

A woman who claimed to be Blessing's aunt later admitted she was not related to the infant. In spite of this, the woman, Benedicte, still visits Blessing weekly, Emigrants Commission head Mgr Philip Calleja said.

Asked whether the authorities have decided about Blessing's future, the ministry spokesman said the most important thing for her is to find "some sort of stability".

"If adoption or fostering are found to be the best option in her interest, then the authorities would move in that direction," he said. Mgr Calleja yesterday voiced concern about the fate of the children.

"We want the necessary procedures to be carried out so that the government assumes responsibility for these children and they can be given up for adoption.

"But it is imperative that this step is taken once it is determined that they do not have any living relatives," he said.

Earlier this year, the story of another migrant orphan - Mohammad Mougdin - had a happy ending after he was reunited with his grandfather in Seattle as part of a US programme to resettle refugees in America.

Two years ago, the then 15-year-old was on the same boat when his mother and five siblings drowned in front of his own eyes in one of the many tragedies involving boat people in the Mediterranean.