Just as it did with refugee relocation, Malta should lead by example and introduce safe and legal pathways for migrants while facilitating family reunification, human rights advocates say.
In an appeal ahead of this week’s European Council meeting, they urged the government to prioritise the protection of human beings rather than just Europe’s borders.
Aditus, Integra, JRS Malta and the Emigrants’ Commission joined forces in calling for a fundamental policy shift at EU level to have a system that prioritises the protection of people.
“We encourage Malta to lead by example, as it did with the intra-EU relocation exercise, and to introduce safe and legal pathways for refugees to reach a place of safety, in particular by broadening the rules on family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and resettling refugees from transit countries,” the group said.
The Times of Malta last week carried an appeal by a man who fled death in an Ethiopian prison and now longs to meet his eight-year-old daughter.
Watch: An eight-year-old daughter... and he's never been able to meet her
Mohamad Kadir was granted subsidiary protection in Malta, which prevents him from being reunited with his wife and daughter despite persecution at home due to his Oromo origins.
Europe’s borders still dangerous and inhospitable for those in need of protection
The director of the Emigrants’ Commission, Mgr Alfred Vella, has called for the right to family reunification to be extended to holders of subsidiary protection as a humanitarian gesture.
In their statement, the NGOs noted that the events of the past weeks were a stark reminder that Europe’s borders were still dangerous and inhospitable for those in need of protection. They insisted that the most vulnerable were often the first casualty in disputes between nations.
Earlier this month, a rescue vessel, the Aquarius, was left stranded at sea for days with more than 600 migrants in an Italy-Malta standoff until Spain offered them refuge.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, an estimated 220 migrants drowned last week off the Libyan coast.
Seen in the light of discussions at European level, such events underscored the fact that Europe was still far from achieving a unified and consistent response, the NGOs said.
Instead of focusing on real responsibility sharing within the EU, member states’ discussions focused almost exclusively on stopping spontaneous refugee arrivals or making arrangements with non-European states for refugees to remain there, even where such countries might not be able or willing to offer true refugee protection.
The NGOs acknowledged that the lack of a unified approach and stress on protection of borders and perceived national interests were proving to be problematic for everyone.
“Individual EU member states are disadvantaged by the application of the Dublin Regulation, insofar as this requires the European Union’s border states to become the continent’s reception or detention centres.
“Yet it is particularly problematic for refugees and asylum seekers, who continue to die in ever greater numbers as they attempt to reach a place of safety,” the NGOs noted.