Detention Services refute claims of poor living conditions, verbal abuse for irregular migrants
Representatives from the Detention Services Agency (DSA) have refuted allegations that in recent years, irregular migrants, staying at local detention facilities, have faced verbal abuse and sub-standard living conditions.The Malta Independent on Sun
Representatives from the Detention Services Agency (DSA) have refuted allegations that in recent years, irregular migrants, staying at local detention facilities, have faced verbal abuse and sub-standard living conditions.
The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to the CEO of DSA, Kyle Mifsud, its head of Welfare and Mental Health Services, Nicholas Schembri and the lead doctor of the Migrant Health Service, Dr Marius Caruana, who said that detained migrants are treated with dignity and respect.
When asked if the facilities are adequate for them or an average Maltese citizen to live in, the officials did not provide a direct yes or no answer. Instead, they responded that the average Maltese person “would have all the minimum standards” inside.
The officials said that the centre provides the detained irregular migrants with much more dignified conditions than many of them would find in rented property. In this regard, they referenced how migrants have been spotted living in horse stables in recent years, with migrants in this case staying in “inhumane” conditions.
Schembri said that he believes that the irregular migrants detained at the centres are “happy” with their living conditions although “their main concern is to be free”.
Mifsud, who is a former mental health professional, told this newsroom that the DSA has been working tirelessly to improve living conditions at the centres for the past three years. He stated that “we strive to make them comfortable and to treat everyone humanely and with respect”.
It was also said that the DSA has addressed many of the identified shortcomings from the “positive report” published by the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) in 2021.
This report accused the Maltese state of having an immigration system that “purely ‘contained’ migrants who had essentially been forgotten, within poor conditions of detention and regimes which verged on institutional mass neglect by the authorities”; it had commented on the prison-like design of the centres, labelling them as “totally inappropriate” for their lack of privacy, crammed beds in large rooms and also found deficiencies in “a lack of maintenance of the buildings (especially the sanitary facilities)”.
This 2021 report also mentioned abuse within the centres, though Caruana stated that these claims are unverified and hold the same weight as a collection of allegations, as no specific statements were cited in the final report. The DSA CEO said that they have a “zero tolerance approach” to abuse in these centres – he said this applies both ways, that is, detainees to guards and vice-versa.
“Verbal abuse is not tolerated from either part,” he said.
It was also noted that all allegations relating to abuse must be founded and verified since “not all allegations are true, though that’s the situation we work in.” The installation of CCTV cameras was pinned as a great asset to verify complaints, instances of abuse and hold order at the centres.
They said that this is an important tool to be able to verify complaints since there have been occasions when migrants accused staff members of abuse when these members were actually on leave. In addition, they said that this technology provides both peace of mind and a form of accountability.
On the centres’ prison-like environment, the officials said that having a barred area “obviously” has such an effect, but it is necessary for reasons of national security. They added that newer buildings would have a less prison-like infrastructure than the old buildings presently being used.
“Everyone is entitled to a personal opinion [on prison-like environment], but we cannot allow that to circumvent the parameters of the law,” he said.
The officials also spoke about planned and accomplished internal developments in the country’s detention centres, their desired occupancy rates for these spaces, their aimed humanitarian treatment of detained irregular migrants, as well as other details about managing these multicultural places.
They told this newsroom that since the humanitarian aspect became more prioritised around three years ago, the behaviour of detainees has improved inside the detention centres. It was also noted that no riots have been registered in the last two years.
When questioned about what has changed, the officials elaborated that “a lot changed when the centres were removed from being under the control of the Armed Forces”.
The officials said that all detainees have access to lawyers, information in various languages, televisions with access to YouTube, as well as access outside via their respective yards. They said that they can also partake in physical activity once a week and that they are working on introducing life skill courses in the future, in order to teach them about certain valuable skills such as building, first aid, hygiene and other skills.
To pass the time indoors, the DSA officials said migrants have board games, books, cards and footballs to “keep them active”.
Improved health services
During this interview, one of the most significant improvements in the services provided to detained migrants was described to be in health services. The DSA officials remarked that detainees have “very good” medical access.
It was also noted that the introduction of psychiatric services at the detention centres just over two years ago has reduced the number of referrals to Mount Carmel. Caruana noted that this has closed a loophole that irregular migrants previously used to bypass the asylum process by citing mental health issues.
It was described that some migrants try to prolong their stay in an attempt to exceed the nine-month limit to force their release.
The Migrant Health Service (MHS) runs independently from the DSA and has been officially operating at these locations’ since June 2021. It is assisted by the Malta Red Cross in Ħal Far.
Caruana said that in spite of the improved services on offer for migrants at the centres, it can be challenging to recruit people into the Migrant Health Service. He explained that aside from competing with the Health Department, this “is not a very popular destination”.
The detention services have a dedicated clinic and also have foreign nurses. The nurses’ multicultural backgrounds help detainees communicate their issues to doctors. Such communication, if need be, is also facilitated via online interpretation, Caruana described.
He was content to say that the MHS has improved a lot since its inception. He said how mandatory training is given to all staff members in first aid, mental health first aid and in cultural sensitivity training.
Managing the detention centres and strategic targets
Since Interior Minister Byron Camilleri told Parliament that 140 people were being held in the country’s detention centres on 2 June, this number has dropped to approximately 119 people, according to the DSA’s officials when the interview was held earlier this month.
“Many [migrants] come here just for a few days and leave.”
It was noted that these migrants do not only arrive in the Maltese islands by boat, as is often depicted; in fact, most irregular migrants enter through Malta International Airport and overstay their visas. Furthermore, sea arrivals are uncommon nowadays, even though they can happen all year round.
They informed this newsroom that despite having an estimated capacity of around 1,700 people across its three sites, the average population in Malta’s detention centres has been hovering between just 130-140 people.
The Safi centre has a capacity of 150 persons, the China House in Ħal Far can hold 1,000 people, and its nearby barracks have an approximate capacity of 500 more migrants. The Lyster Barracks in Ħal Far have been closed since 2021 for pending refurbishments. Its closure was not deemed as an issue due to the low occupancy rates of recent times.
Throughout 2023, Malta had 380 sea arrivals; the year prior 444 arrived by boat. This is a stark difference to the 2,281 persons in 2020 and 3,406 irregular migrants in 2019.
Mifsud expressed hope that the occupancy rate at all centres this summer will not exceed 30% capacity, citing concerns for comfort and health amid the intense heat. The people inside the centres are separated by gender and by personal needs.
Each migrant was said to cost the DSA around €35 daily. The average length of stay for an individual person being sent back to their country of origin was said to be 48 days, down from 99 days in 2021 when flights were restricted due to the pandemic; those being sent to another EU country and those given immediate protection have shorter stays. This means that the average irregular migrant pending a move back to their home country costs authorities €1,680 for their entire stay.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
