Asylum seekers leave their country in the hope of finding a better life in a stable country. This may affect our society negatively, especially as providing for the people’s care and accommodation comes at a cost.
But we must also recognise the difficulties these immigrants experience before they decide to flee their own country and during their voyage across perilous terrains and seas, as well as when they arrive in our country and face situations that may not always be hospitable.
Naturally, as the number of asylum seekers settling in Malta increases, the resources allocated for their care is likely to be strained. This is why help from other countries is of utmost importance to us. Clayton Spiteri, Mcast-Btec Higher National diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, 2nd year.
When I think about this issue, I ask myself whether it is fair to call these people ‘irregular immigrants’? Isn’t the world a free place, where anyone can live anywhere?
People complain about asylum seekers because they say they take their jobs, without taking into consideration that they are paid less than other people who do the same work, sometimes even for less than the minimum wage, without any benefits.
No one thinks about why they have to leave their country, family and friends.
Governments should not decide what to do with refugees once they get to Europe. Instead they should help solve the problems in their country. This would reduce the numbers of ‘irregular immigrants’ and help more families lead a happier life in their homelands. Sophie DeKetelare, Mcast-Btec Extended diploma in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 2nd year.
Irregular immigration is a very delicate issue in Malta. Our country is a very small island, and it can get really difficult to accommodate large numbers of asylum seekers. The country would have to allocate much more resources to treat them humanely.
However, these people need to be respected and well taken care of because we have to keep in mind that they would have left their country due to poverty or war. We have to try and imagine the suffering we’d go through if we were to be forced to leave our country, abandoning all our relatives and possessions, without knowing where to go, and who would be hosting us.
If we all try to imagine this situation, we’d be much more eager to help them. After all, you can’t blame anyone for trying to secure a happier and more successful life. Luke Cauchi, Mcast-Btec Extended diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, 2nd year.