African immigrants facing social stigma

An African refugee walked into a clothes shop and when she picked up a top to take a closer look the salesperson told her to take her "black hands" off the garment.

In a separate incident, a young man was asked to leave a bar, where he went to have a drink, because he was an immigrant.

"The stigma refugees face in Malta is very real," explained social psychologist Marilyn Clark as she recalled instances of stigma experienced by refugees she had spoken to as part of her research.

The themes of invasion and contamination were prevalent among refugees who suffered stigma in Malta, Dr Clark found.

Locals who behaved this way towards immigrants often remarked that the latter were stealing their jobs and "invading" the island as they increased in number.

There was also fear of contamination from some "strange tropical disease". One Maltese woman, who posted a comment in an online petition against immigration, claimed she had left hospital early because she shared a room with a "dirty" immigrant.

Dr Clark defined stigma as occurring when an individual did not match the pre-conceived expectation of how people should be.

When people were stigmatised they were seen as "lesser" and this placed them in a disadvantaged social position that led to segregation and a restriction of their rights. In fact, many refugees commented that they experienced discrimination in terms of employment as they found it difficult to land good jobs and, when they did find employment, they were paid less. "One well-educated woman said it would hurt her parents to know that she was cleaning people's houses after having studied for many years," Dr Clark recalled.

Immigrants, she said, also felt discriminated against in terms of access to health care and leisure as some were not allowed into clubs because of their skin colour.

She elaborated how this tribal stigma, faced by immigrants, was particularly hard for them to cope with. "It is impossible to hide your skin colour," she said matter-of-factly.

"People tend to group them all together because of their skin colour thinking that black people are all immigrants and, therefore, a threat," she said adding that this way of generalising was not unique to Malta.

Faced with this attitude, immigrants who suffered from this stigma tried to cope by holding on to their cultural identity that separated them from "the oppressor" and this made integration more difficult.

On the other hand, other immigrants empathised with Maltese who stigmatised them and tried to understand their point of view.

Dr Clark will be elaborating on the subject of stigma during a seminar entitled Immigrants: Perceptions And Realities, which the Maltese Psychological Association will hold next Saturday at the Hotel Excelsior in Floriana between 8.45 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. It will be open to mental health professionals working in the field including psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and counsellors. More information can be obtained by sending an e-mail to info@mpaonline.net.

The Malta Association of Social Workers will be holding a film night at the University Chapel on Friday at 7.30 p.m. followed by a short talk on the reality in Sudan's Darfur. The aim of the event is to raise awareness on the issue of migration and the infringement of human rights.