Studies show a high proportion of discrimination but few reports of racist incidents in Malta. The poster held up in this photo refers to Nigerian migrant Ifeanyi Nwokoye, who died in police custody after an escape attempt in 2011. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Victims and witnesses of racism will, as from today, be able to report abuse through a website created to address its low reporting rate and offer support.

The site – reportracism-malta.org – is intended to increase the reporting of such incidents, inform individuals about the remedies available and support them through the process.

It was launched by human rights think tank The People for Change Foundation and also aims to gather data to understand the reality of racism in Malta and provide evidence to inform legal and policy development in the area.

Anyone who witnesses or experiences racism can fill in an online form – available in Maltese, English and French – asking questions such as where and when the incident occurred, what it consisted of and whether a police report was filed.

People can also send in evidence, such as photos or footage, to back up their claims.

If the person filing the report agrees to be contacted, the foundation will offer its support.

This will include information, as well as help with filing official reports and following them up.

85%

- the percentage of racism victims who keep quiet

“The need for such a system is clear from the high levels of incidence and low levels of reporting of racist incidents,” the foundation said in a statement.

Maltese authorities receive very low numbers of racism reports.

A National Commission for the Promotion of Equality report showed that 85 per cent of victims of racism keep quiet.

In contrast, a report published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights found that 63 per cent of Africans in Malta experienced high levels of discrimination, the second highest incidence in the EU.

In addition, 29 per cent fell victim to racially motivated crime.

Taken together, these figures highlight a gap between reports and incidents.

This could be due to the lack of access to information and a reporting system, the foundation said, as it pointed out that a Fundamental Rights Agency report found that only 11 per cent of African immigrants in Malta knew of the existence of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality.

“We hope that this website will promote a culture of reporting racist incidents, while developing a better understanding of the state of play of racism in Malta through the compilation of information about such incidents,” the foundation said.