JLS Commissioner visits Malta

On 13 March, Jacques Barrot, JLS Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission, participated in a fact-finding mission concerning detention conditions of immigrants on the island of Lampedusa. Visibly shocked by the critical state of the island's detention system, the Commissioner stressed the need to improve the conditions prevailing in the detention centres. "Particular attention should be paid to access to health care for vulnerable groups", he said. He also pledged to make more funds available to Malta on top of the money already allocated, especially in order to improve the centres. Finally, he emphasized that the creation of the European Asylum Support Office could lead to the setting up of a pilot programme to transfer asylum seekers from Malta to other EU Member States, hopefully by 2010. '

 

March 2009

His visit came a day after the departure of 'Médecins sans Frontieres' (MSF) from the detention centres in protest of the inhumane and unacceptable conditions in which asylum seekers were being detained. The decision followed a series of requests to Maltese authorities to improve living conditions and healthcare services in these centres. MSF however will remain present on the island, supporting migrants and asylum seekers in the existing open centresand providing medical care to new arrivals.

Since the beginning of its activities in Malta, in August 2008,MSF had witnessed the unacceptable conditions in centreswhere migrants and asylum seekers were kept as detainees.These conditions are a threat to the physical and mentalhealth of the migrants and asylum seekers.

Since last August, MSF has carried out nearly 3,200 medicalconsultations and 266 individual psychological sessions in Malta. Many health problems encountered among the detainees- such as musculoskeletal pain, urinary and skin infections - are a result of the harsh journey to reach the island and could be exacerbated by unacceptable living conditions in the detention centres: "Overcrowding and a lack of appropriate isolation areas for patients with infectious diseases are a further threat to the health to the migrants and asylum seekers. For five months, MSF followed the status of 60 individuals who arrived at the centres in good health. Throughout this period, 65 cases of disease, such as scabies, chicken pox and respiratory tract infections were diagnosed within the group. These could all have been avoided."

MSF called on the Maltese and European authorities to take urgent measures to ensure minimum reception standards for migrants and asylum seekers in Malta, as set out in Maltese and European legislation. These should include the improvement of living conditions, the establishment of a system of appropriate medical care, a pharmacy in the centres to guarantee the delivery of drugs and adequate isolation areas for patients with infectious diseases. MSF also strongly denounces the detention of asylum seekers and vulnerable groups of migrants such as pregnant women, sick people and children.

 

Sources:

- Agence Europe, 17 March 2009 EU/JHA: 'Barrot calls for solidarity with southern countries'

- Times of Malta 'Burden sharing deal possible next year'

- Médecins sans Frontieres 'Médecins Sans Frontières suspends activities in detention centres for undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Malta'

 

- Médecins sans Frontieres 'Not criminals. MSF exposes conditions for undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Maltese detention centres', April 2009 report

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