“IT’S A FALLACY TO THINK THAT PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN FAVOUR OF ASYLUM SEEKERS IS ENCOURAGING IRREGULAR IMMIGRATION” - MASW
“Knowledge and information about the situation in the countries where asylum seekers and refugees originate will empower government and civil society to respond to the phenomenon of irregular immigration in Malta”
To mark this year's World Refugee Day, the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) is expressing its solidarity towards all those people living in situations of danger, persecution and poverty in the countries from which asylum seekers and refugees in Malta and across the world originate.
In a recent event organized by the Association in collaboration with the three other NGOs, a film was viewed and discussion held in order to raise awareness on the situation in Sudan as an example of one of the countries from where people flee from.
The life-threatening circumstances such as conflicts, famine, entire devastation of villages and mass murders were shown and discussed. Such an event can only serve to give a small view of the kind of situations and reasons that drive people to leave their country.
As one person stated, “… it really does take COURAGE, to be a refugee, it must be the most vulnerable and lonely experience … nobody should have to go through such tragedy.”
The political, legal, socio-cultural, foreign policy and infrastructural factors displayed in the film about Sudan all highlighted the complexity of the problem that has been going on for years making it clear that the serious problems will not be solved overnight.
The situation in other countries like Somalia where a state of lawlessness, chaos and terror continues to reign and solutions seem even bleaker.
The political powers of the Western, developed world continue to struggle with the complexity of these problems, haunted by a past of colonialist interference and compromised political and economic interests.
The result is deaths, tragedies and hardships for these people that go on for interminable years.
The MASW and collaborating NGOs believe that education, knowledge and information about the situation in the countries where asylum seekers and refugees originate will empower government and civil society to respond to the phenomenon of irregular immigration in Malta. Further, the organizations warn that fear and policies of exclusion will only create a local environment which is detrimental to our society, our economy and our identity; An identity which must prove its strength by demonstrating its cultural richness, openness and resilience.
A political system cannot claim civilization and development if it creates further incumbencies to those who are rightfully eligible to be given humanitarian protection and refugee status or if it shuns and criticizes those who exercise their freedom of speech to advocate for the rights of asylum seekers.
The current detention policy and the growing preoccupation with border control disputes are resulting in conditions where asylum seekers are deprived from their human rights. The Association reiterates and reinforces the public statement by the Jesuit Refugee Service that the detention centers are not the solution but rather another infringement of a human’s right to seek protection from harm and persecution.
It is a fallacy that being in favour of human rights encourages the increase of irregular immigration, rather, it is quite the opposite because it is the lack of human rights that drives people to escape from the home country that they nonetheless many treasure in their hearts forever.
http://www.masw.info/
