Racism and racial discrimination in Malta, particularly against asylum seekers – mainly sub-Saharan Africans – and Muslims remained prevalent last year, according to a new report by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).
The report indicates progress, particularly in the areas of access to education and health. However, it finds little hard evidence to sustain claims of “widespread” ethnic discrimination in many areas, particularly where it comes to employment and housing.
Report author Jean-Pierre Gauci, from the People for Change Foundation, notes that much of the “evidence” was gathered through personal discussions with non-European migrants because officially research and detailed facts remain limited.
Employment continued to be one of the main areas of concern. According to the report, there is a clear difference in the access to the job market for non-Maltese EU citizens and other migrants.
“Various migrants recount stories of being told that there’s no place for them in the company even if the firm would in fact be advertising jobs. Others narrate stories of being asked for contact details but never being contacted again,” the report states.
Problems related to unofficial jobs and exploitation remain rife.
“There is very little hard evidence on the actual wages migrant workers receive. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that those who have been through the asylum system are paid much less and very often up to half of what their Maltese counterparts get for the same work.”
The ENAR review also reports substantial ethnic discrimination when it comes to access to the housing market with Africans and Muslims finding it very hard to rent accommodation from Maltese tenants.
According to the report, even Maltese having African friends are sometimes looked down upon.
“The consultation process leading up to the drafting of the National Action Plan against Racism found that discrimination from neighbours is sometimes felt vis-à-vis foreigners (who are sometimes looked down upon, spoken to rudely or even name-called) but also vis-à-vis Maltese people with African friends.
“For instance, one community leader told the story of a Maltese person being called ‘rubbish’ by her neighbours for having African friends over,” the report recounts.
On the positive side, it notes progress in the areas of education and healthcare where the Maltese authorities and NGOs are working hard to put migrants on a level playing field with Maltese citizens.
According to ENAR, moves were noted towards intercultural learning while children are being generally well integrated within the school environment although some cases of racial bullying have been reported.
The same goes for healthcare where the report speaks of significant developments in this regard most notably measures undertaken by the setting up of a government Migrant Health Unit aimed at addressing the particular health needs of the asylum seekers’ community.
The area of criminal justice was also highlighted as “problematic”. Despite lack of proof or hard evidence, the report comments that activists often note that the weight of the law in Malta is heavier on ethnic minorities.
“Informal reports have also been made to NGOs of police officers refusing to take reports when they attempt to report cases of violence or crime. No efforts are made by the police force to establish contact and relations with community organisations and there is therefore little or no communication between migrant communities and the force,” the report says.
Anecdotal evidence quoted by ENAR indicates that, while the police force has in place mechanisms to address wrongdoings by its members, the process is often long and heavily discourages people from making complaints.
According to the report, some fear being further victimised by the process and therefore choose not to press forward with their complaints.
“A number of stories emerged during the reporting period where public perception assumed that if there is an issue between a Maltese or European person and a migrant then the latter was to blame,” the report states.