Six Somali refugees leaving Malta for Portugal

Six refugees - three adults and three children leave to embark on a new life in Portugal tomorrow.

The refugees are being assisted by the International Organisation for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency.

The refugees, who are from Somalia are being relocated to Portugal as part of the intra EU Relocation from Malta (EUREMA) pilot project, which aims to relocate refugees from Malta to other EU states.

UNHCR Malta is responsible for the identification and initial screening of potential candidates for relocation to the participating countries.

The assessment process is based on individual needs and agreed selection criteria. It is the receiving countries that take the final decision about who to accept for relocation.

IOM provided a five-hour pre-departure orientation class to help the refugees develop realistic expectations of their new lives in Portugal. It will also assist the refugees during boarding procedures, and in transit.

A representative of the Portuguese Embassy in Malta will be present at the departure.

Upon their arrival, the beneficiaries will be sheltered in the reception centre of Bobadela (Lisbon municipality) where they will be given housing support, food and clothing, Portuguese language courses, childcare, employment services and other forms of assistance during their transition period to self-sufficiency.

The refugees had arrived in Malta by boat and spent a number of years living in open centers.

This pilot relocation project is in response to the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum agreed in October 2008. It constitutes the largest intra-European resettlement operation with IOM support so far.

In Malta the project is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, IOM, UNHCR and the Emigrant’s Commission.