The refugee appeals board last year saw an 80 per cent drop in applications over the previous year.
The sharp decline, from 827 appeals in 2009, was partly the result of an agreement between Italy and Libya for an automatic push back of immigrants, the economic crisis, which means less migrants were attracted to Europe, and because more of those seeking asylum were given temporary protection when they first applied so there was no need for them to appeal, according to board chairman Henry Frendo.
Of the 162 people who actually applied, only two Sudanese migrants were given full refugee status on the basis of a “well-founded fear of persecution” according to law.
Other reasons for asylum requests included instability in the country they came from, poverty, political, religious or tribal tensions.
The three most common countries of origin for migrants reviewed by the appeals board were Nigeria (22 per cent), Ethiopia (16 per cent) and Bangladesh (14.2 per cent).
In terms of profile, 83 per cent were aged between 18 and 35 and, while the majority were Muslim (46 per cent), they were closely followed by Catholics (40 per cent).
Males dominated the appeals group representing 78 per cent of applicants; 18 per cent were females and 3.7 per cent were unaccompanied children.
Although most migrants appearing before the board were illiterate or semi-literate, there was a marginal improvement in the degree of education at all levels, the board pointed out, with about 40 per cent claiming to have attended primary school, up eight per cent on 2009. Some 35 per cent attended secondary school and six per cent went to high school and one per cent went to university.
Human rights concerns
Extracts from Amnesty International’s 2010 Report on violations in the three most common countries of origin
Nigeria
The police continued to commit with impunity a wide range of human rights violations, including unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment and enforced disappearances.
Some people were targeted for failing to pay bribes. Several were tortured to death in police detention. Prisoners were held in appalling conditions, many of whom had been awaiting trial for years.
Violence against women remained endemic and abuses against people suspected of same-sex relationships continued.
Forced evictions affected thousands of people across the country.
At least 58 people were sentenced to death.
In the Niger Delta, clashes continued in the first half of the year between armed groups and the security forces, resulting in many deaths, including of bystanders. The security situation improved after the President offered an amnesty to members of armed groups in August.
Ethiopia
Opposition party leader Birtukan Mideksa, who was re-arrested in December 2008, continued to serve a life sentence in prison.
Some 26 people were convicted in November in the trial of more than 30 former military officers and Ginbot 7 party officials accused of plotting an armed attack on the government. Ethiopian security forces continued to carry out periodic arrests of Oromo political leaders, businessmen and their family members, who were often detained, sometimes without charge, for prolonged periods.
Sporadic fighting continued between Ethiopian National Defence Forces and armed opposition Ogaden National Liberation Front in the Somali Region (known as the Ogaden).
Some 6.2 million Ethiopians required emergency assistance because of severe drought.
Bangladesh
At least 74 people, including civilians and army officers, were killed during a Bangladesh Rifles mutiny in February 2010. After the mutiny, over 3,000 BDR personnel were detained, at least 48 of whom died in custody.
The police and security forces were implicated in the alleged extrajudicial executions of up to 70 criminal suspects. At least 64 people were sentenced to death and at least three were executed.
Women continued to be victims of acid attacks, rape, beatings and other attacks, with little preventive action from the authorities.