Each and every one of the estimated 50 million refugees and displaced people worldwide was an individual human being deserving hope and justice in their lives, the Jesuit Refugee Service said in a statement marking World Refugee Day today.
Drawing attention to the suffering and hardship faced by refugees, JRS-Europe also highlighted the very real risk that refugees' rights would be threatened by measures designed to control irregular migration and to deter would-be asylum seekers from entering the territory.
'Yet it is indispensable that the fundamental human rights of refugees and asylum seekers are safeguarded, however they enter the territory," JRS-Malta director Pierre Grech Marguarat said.
"People in search of protection should be able to live with dignity. When talking of asylum seekers, the relatively large number of immigration detainees, many of whom have applied for refugee status, cannot be ignored. It is evident that the government is doing all within its power to ensure that the basic needs of these persons are met. However, as human beings, the needs of these people who have been deprived of their freedom go beyond the provision of food and shelter.
"The authorities should take all steps to ensure that, even while detained, these people can live with dignity. They are not criminals, and the conditions of their detention should reflect this. They should be given every opportunity to occupy their time constructively and be provided with adequate recreational activities. Where minor children are detained, it is imperative that their right to free education, which is guaranteed by law, be safeguarded at all costs."
JRS-Malta said it was also concerned about the situation of persons enjoying humanitarian protection in Malta, as the rights and benefits to which this status entitles them are not stated in the Refugees Act.
"These people are allowed to remain in Malta because they are in need of protection and cannot return to their country. It is of fundamental importance that their basic rights to shelter, education and medical attention are guaranteed by the authorities. They should also be allowed to work if they are not to granted any form of financial assistance," it said.
JRS works with refugees and asylum seekers in more than 50 countries. Drawing attention to the great hardship and suffering endured by these people, JRS called upon all concerned to "open our hearts to these vulnerable people and offer them something better for the future."