Ex-convicts face problems accessing the labour market in Malta despite showing a change in behaviour, a Maltese delegation told a Brussels conference yesterday.
These included former drug addicts who had been clean for a number of years but were still hampered by a tainted record, the Maltese delegation said.
The group was asked to present recommendations to the 10th EU Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty in Brussels.
The conference was organised jointly by the Hungarian EU presidency, the European Commission and the European Anti-Poverty Network and brought together people experiencing poverty from the EU member states who voiced concerns with decision makers.
They recommended wiping convictions related to drug abuse from the record of an individual who had undergone a rehabilitation programme and been clean for five years, group leader Paul Vella Haber told The Sunday Times, in order to remove the element of stigma.
The Maltese group, which included three people experiencing poverty in Malta, also voiced their disapproval at the narrow gap between social benefits and the minimum wage, pointing out this left little incentive to enter the workforce.
“When I ask people if they try to find a part-time job they tell me it doesn’t pay because they will lose their benefits,” Mr Vella Haber said.
The Maltese group also highlighted the negative stigma that exists in connection with physical appearance, like skin colour or tattoos, which hinder people from finding employment.
These problems push people further from the financial and social security of the labour market, and closer to a life of poverty.
“When people try to move forward, these problems pull them back,” they said. Mr Vella Haber, who is also a member of the European Anti-Poverty Network, said local participants were initially somewhat apprehensive about taking part in such international forums.
However, meeting other people from different European countries experiencing problems similar to theirs often changed their attitude.
“Many people experiencing poverty have low self-esteem and they need empowerment,” he said.
This was hardly evident yesterday, though, when participants experiencing poverty openly criticised officials for not giving them enough time to speak.
“The politicians are paid to find solutions to our problems. If you can’t find solutions, give us the money and we will try to find them ourselves,” one delegate told the large audience.