In Search Of A Better Life
Every year, many thousands of people cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
Fleeing from war, violence and poverty, these people, in search of a better life, accept the risk of dying while crossing the ocean.
Yet, according to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, 123,663 asylum seekers and refugees managed to make the journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, last year. For them, a new life begins here, even if it often looks different than they thought.
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"They want to have legal work. They want to study. They want to be able to just enjoy they life the way we Europeans do."
Clara-Lou Michal, co-founder of the refugee aid organisation "Hal Far Outreach" in Malta.
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The island of Malta is a destination for many refugees and migrants. Last year alone, more than four thousand people applied for protection status in the smallest and most densely populated country in Europe, according to the Country Report on Malta from the Asylum Information Database. But once these people have made the days or weeks of travelling from their home country to Malta, the life that awaits them is not an easy one.
Especially during the ongoing pandemic, life around the world and thus also at "Europe's door" has changed significantly. But people who are looking for shelter also exist in times of Corona.
The Journey Begins
When people from Africa, mostly from or through Libya, enter provisional dinghies and small boats that are not made for rough seas like the Mediterranean, they often don't know what is lying ahead of them and what Europe will look and be like. They only know that they expect it to be better and safer than their home countries.
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Why Malta?
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"Most of the people who arrive in Malta never planned to arrive here. They expected to arrive in Italy, but mostly, they don't want to stay there either", Clara-Lou Michal says. She is the co-founder of "Hal Far Outreach", a refugee aid organization based in Malta. When she and her colleagues looked at migrants and asylum-seekers in 2018, they noticed that they mostly were based in Hal Far. This rather industrial area in the southern part of the island. Most NGOs however are based in Valletta, Malta's capital. Thus, to reach any help and information, a bus ride of 45 minutes was necessary and not always possible for everyone in the camps. Michal and her colleagues started off with small initiatives like football tournaments and other social activities. Seeing that their help is highly needed and effective, they soon widened their help to all areas of daily life – nowadays, they provide information about civil rights, English lessons, support in emergency situations and social support, for example to find housing or opening a bank account.
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The Journey
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Most people who arrive in Malta by boat come from Sudan, according to statistics from UNHCR. In their home, the economic situation is at all times tense, there are shortnesses of medication, fuel and everyday goods. Medical care is rare and expensive. Homosexuality is punishable and in the case of repeated acts can be punished with the death penalty. Thus, many want to go to Europe to get a safe job to provide for themselves, their families and loved ones. At times, they don't know what lies ahead of them when they enter the boat. This was also the case for 28 years old Ahmad*, who crossed the Mediterranean to come to Europe from Somalia in 2012. He had been in prison for 8 months in Libya and had to pay a high fee to get out of it and into the boat. Since his arrival in Malta, he spent time in several places but now lives in a house with other refugees so that they can afford the rent.
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The journey over the Mediterranean Sea from Libya, where most boats start over the Mediterranean route, brings some dangers with it. Last year, according to UNHCR, 1,319 people died or went missing when crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.
Many people on the run, who simply want a "normal life" in Europe, do not know that they are going to be exposed to extreme dangers on the water.
Often, the refugees are given a false picture before departure, knows Clara-Lou Michal from Hal Far Outreach.
"I've talked to many people who told me before crossing the Mediterranean Sea they didn't
know it was a sea. Some people told them it's just a lake. That they would be on the water for about 5 minutes and then they'd be in Europe."
- Clara-Lou Michal (HFO)
Depending on the starting point, 200 - 300 nautical miles separate Libya from Malta.
Since the refugees can often only make the crossing with small inflatable boats, this means a journey of several days. The worry of dying of dehydration or drowning during this journey is everywhere.
Once the people have finally made the journey across the Mediterranean, however, there is often another hurdle to overcome.​
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In the past, there have been several cases where refugee boats or rescue boats of aid organisations with refugees have been refused access to the ports of Italy and Malta.
This is because the countries and the European Union are repeatedly at odds with each other on issues of refugee admission.
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It is a known fact that many countries of the European Union do not want to accept asylum seekers, but that people who seek safe refuge in Europe keep arriving at border countries.
In September 2019, an agreement on a temporary migrant distribution mechanism has been made by Malta, Italy, France and Germany to avoid that boats getting stuck at sea while countries negotiate on a case-by-case basis.
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Due to the outbreak of the Corona Virus in Europe, the situation has again drastically worsened.
Since April the Maltese government has closed the ports due to the Corona Pandemic. As a result, private rescue vessels such as the "Alan Kurdi" were refused permission to dock and boats in distress received no help from the Maltese government.
Britta Rabe, volunteer at Alarm Phone, knows that this new situation is life-threatening, especially for people who come via the central Mediterranean route.
The calls she receives often stay in her mind for a long time. The latest events during the easter holidays are still haunting her today when she thinks about the people that were left on the sea by themselves and several died.
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According to the Maltese government, this happened because there was not enough capacity to provide health care for the refugees, as they were needed to care for the locals because of the outbreak of Covid-19.
This action led to international protests and was criticised by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, among others, in an open letter to the Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela. Even though the EU has taken a stand here, the ongoing negotiations on the admission of refugees are leading to the suffering and death of refugees, especially during the current pandemic. Already before the Corona crisis, the EU's approach to refugee issues was criticised as many countries refuse to take in refugees.
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With the Corona crisis, this isolation from countries outside the EU has become even stronger, Britta Rabe believes.
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"I think that all the many decisions are made (...) mainly for the inhabitants and the citizens with the passport of the European Union and that other people do not count. Also the demands at the moment from “Black Lives Matter” refers to what is happening with migration and that the Fortress Europe defending people from enter the European Union."
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Even though Malta, according to the newspaper "Malta Today", has now let 400 refugees ashore who have been waiting for weeks on tourist ships off the coast of Malta, the situation is still very tense.
France and Germany have also agreed to take in some refugees. Nevertheless, especially post Corona-times, further work must be done on the problem of sea rescue and a long-term European solution has to be found. For the people who have arrived in Europe after the long journey and the strains, a new life as an asylum seeker is only beginning.
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The Door Of Europe: Malta And The Refugee Crisis In Times Of Corona
written by Madeleine Saleix, Birka Kallenbach & Johanna Flemming
The International Community
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When it comes to the arrival of asylum-seekers in Europe, the countries at the Mediterranean Sea are the first station for many coming from Africa. With Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt just off the coast, the way over the water is at times the one seemingly the shortest. However, when landing in the countries off the shores, it's mostly not where they want to stay or expected to land. And the capacities of the countries at the shore are not sufficient to take in all the people arriving there. But who is in charge of saving people in distress in the first place?
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Several international agreements stress the obligation to help people in distress at sea. The people responsible for helping in the first place are the captains of ships close to the one in distress. This is rather easy close to the shores but gets harder and harder with the ocean getting broader. Thus, 13 rescue zones have been created where coast guards and countries are responsible for helping people. For a long time, Libya did not have its own coast guard. Thus, the next neighbors had to come to help – Tunisia and Malta. With Tunisia not helping and Malta being small and overwhelmed with the situation, Italy had to take responsibility. The Italian cost guard took in many refugees and brought them to their harbors. Collaborations between the countries is still struggling to succeed in terms of rescuing in the Mediterranean.
Facts And Figures
Malta And Refugees In Figures
3,406
1,201
30 %
2nd
people arrived in Malta with boats in 2019
people arrived in Malta with boats in 2020 (until 30/04/2020)
of refugees
leave Malta to go to other European countries
Malta was ranked
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country with the most refugees per 1,000 inhabitants in 2019 by Eurostat
The Long Journey: From Sudan To Malta
Life During Corona
"Asylum-seekers in Hal Far Camps usually get rather basic jobs in Malta", says Clara-Lou Michal from Hal Far Outreach. Be it in the construction sector or sometimes in restaurants, the immigrants look for jobs to gain some money. However, some of the camps, like Hal Far Migrant Open Centre, were put under quarantine recently. The European Commission published information according to which there had been eight cases of Covid-19 when the camp was quarantined on 5 April 2020. For the more than 1,000 people currently living there in cramped conditions, this means not only the health risk of catching the virus. It also means not being able to go out to work and thus not getting any money .
By June 14th 2020, the overall number of cases in Malta has decreased after reaching its peak so far on April 11th with 351 cases.
"However, if an outbreak were to happen in the camps, it is most likely that the disease spreads easily because of overcrowded containers and a lack of possibilities for social distancing", Michal adds.
The Ways Out
A Report For The Inclusion Of Refugees In A Global Response
On March 30th, a new report entitled “Interim guidance: scaling-up COVID-19 outbreak readiness and response operations in humanitarian situations, including camps and camp-like settings”, was jointly developed by different agencies, according to the WHO. Among them, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), or even the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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This report, published by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, follows European and global guidance guideline considering the specific vulnerabilities of which people in displacement are victims. Among ideas, the access to health care and information on how to prevent being infected and infecting others. Refugees and migrants must also be able to fully participate in public health measures. Lastly, the idea that an effective communication is necessary in order to “counter misperceptions about the role of refugees and migrants”, according to Dr Santino Severoni. “Messages should make clear that migrants or refugees do not present increased COVID-19 risks to countries in comparison to other international travelers”, adds the Special Adviser on Health and Migration at WHO/Europe.
Reinventing The Human Mobility, An Objective Of The United Nations
Wednesday, June 3rd, took place the presentation of the UN note on the impact of Covid-19 on people in situation of displacement. The Secretary-General of United Nation António Guterres pointed out that the Covid-19 first touches the most vulnerable people, which means people on the move, such as refugees or migrants. He adds that more than 150 countries have imposed border restrictions in order to prevent the virus from spreading – and didn't make any exceptions for asylum-seekers. Refugees also face racism and xenophobia with people being afraid of them spreading the disease, according to him.
Therefore, the head of the United Nations proposes four basic principles on which the international community should base itself to “reinventing human mobility”. “Together, we can contain the spread of the virus buffer its impact on the most vulnerable and recover better for the benefit of all”, Mr. Guterres said.
A Long Overdue European Pact On Migration And Asylum
The different world organizations highlight the importance of being together to respond to this crisis. The United Nations and the WHO remind that Covid-19 is challenging the whole world, and therefore the world must answer with one voice. But in reality, the European Union has trouble agreeing on the issue of migrants, according to an article published on June 4, 2020 on the InfoMigrants website.
On June 3rd, the spokesperson of the European Commission Adalbert Jahnz asked member states to “respect their obligations under European and international law”. And to show “solidarity and responsibility” for the more than 400 migrants who are still stranded off the coast of Malta for several weeks. As stated above, Valetta refuses any migrants on its island since the beginning of April, because of the sanitary crisis. But that is also a way of making European countries understand that they must take their responsibility, according to the same article. As mentioned, the agreement on a temporary migrant distribution mechanism has also lapsed due to the current pandemic.
Indeed, a European reform which has been planned for a long time is struggling to see the light of day. The Commission's postponed New Pact on Migration and Asylum is due to be unveiled by the end of the month, according to the current programme. So, Malta have to wait a little longer to see other European countries helping it factually and effectively with the migration issue.
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For Ahmad, the 28 year old refugee from Somalia, this new life is still complicated as he's still struggling to become a citizen in Malta. However, he says that the journey was still worth the struggles. "Everyday I get up, I have my breakfast and I go to university and now I am safe", he says. "The most important aspect is, that you're safe where you live." He still misses his family every day, even though he can call them sometimes. After his studies in social and health care, he wants to help people, whether it's elderly or socially weaker ones. Even though he at times still experiences people having prejudice towards refugees, he is still happy to be in Europe.
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*name changed by the editors