Much more needs to be done to ensure migrants are not excluded or made to suffer injustices because of failures and grey areas in our policies and systems, the President has appealed.

"We must stand up to be counted, and push for action in favour of the benefits that are possible, when a spirit of solidarity is stronger than the threats of exclusion and discrimination," Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said.

She was speaking at the ACP-EU Women's Forum on Gender in Migration being held in Malta. Not only do migrant and refugee women, and their families, suffer because of these unacceptably high levels of prejudice. Our communities and societies, across Europe, are suffering, due to a lack of more inclusive and open economies.

46.7% of participants said they had been searching for a job for over a year

Not only do migrant and refugee women, and their families, suffer because of unacceptably high levels of prejudice but communities and societies, across Europe, are suffering, due to a lack of more inclusive and open economies.

The President cited a report drawn up by the Migrant Women Association of Malta and released earlier this year in which women from Libya, Syria, Somalia, and Eritrea were surveyed.

Of the women included in the report, 85.7% were unemployed, with the majority of them stating that they were unemployed unwillingly.

A total of 46.7% of participants said that they had been searching for a job, for over a year. More than 93 of participants had attended primary level education. Furthermore, over half of these women completed secondary level education, and almost one in five obtained a university level degree.

An overwhelming 78.6% of participants said that they believed discrimination is the main obstacle to employment.

"When we recognise the benefits made possible by the participation of migrant women, in the social and economic sectors, then we must do our duty, to continue developing strategies for respectful and dignified inclusion," Ms Coleiro Preca said.