Migrants ‘scared’ to report abuse

Migrants whose rights are being breached are scared to speak up and start legal proceedings as they fear it would work against them, according to Neil Falzon, the director of human rights NGO Aditus.

When, for example, a migrant left an open centre with no work permit he ended up working on the black market. Reporting abuse would expose the illegality of his work that was essential for him to get by and pay rent.

Various immigrant NGOs yesterday voiced their concern about the situation during a training seminar organised by Aditus, the UN Refugee Agency and International Commission of Jurists.

The seminar focused on the accessibility of rights to migrants. These include rights to an adequate standard of living and housing, social security and non-discrimination.

During discussion time NGO representatives pointed out that the current system allowed migrants to leave open centres without work permits.

This was compounded by inadequate housing facilities that often gave migrants no choice other than to work illegally to have a roof over their head.

The situation was even more precarious for women with children who could not afford to pay for day care to be able to go to work. This sometimes forced them into prostitution.

If migrants felt their rights were being breached in detention, or while living in open centres, they often did not want to speak up for fear of upsetting the authorities they depended on.

NGO representatives said one of the major problems in dealing with migrants was that unlike other vulnerable groups they had no political clout and could, therefore, not exert political pressure on policymakers.

A representative from the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality said it did not receive many complaints from migrants. The commission needed to spread awareness among them to ensure they knew about its role.