Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1245222
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2020 CORONAVIRUS CRISIS LAURA CALLEJA INTERNATIONAL adoptions came to an abrupt halt with the COVID-19 pan- demic leading countries to close their ports and airports after travel routes were shut down. And expectant parents seek- ing international adoptions are indeed disappointed. Svetlana Camilleri and her husband have been trying to grow their family for over six years and had been finally matched with a child from India in Sep- tember 2019. The couple had only just been approved on 5 March, when the world went into complete lockdown leav- ing them and many others in limbo. On 19 March, India suspended entry of all international flights, then only one day later on 20 March, Malta followed suit; aside from chartered flights to bring resi- dents back to the island. The situation has left many wondering when the airports would reopen – how- ever Economy Minister Silvio Schembri told parliament last week that it was it was "extremely likely" that the airport would be one of the last things re-opened. "After waiting for so long, and getting so far – being in the final stages and then have everything just come to a standstill. It's not a nice situation to be in. We're all disappointed. It's been hard for us to go from being approved to days later getting bad news," Camilleri said. Camilleri said it had been difficult to handle the reality that they simply do not know when they are going to be able to travel to India. "Even if India does open its airports again, there is no guarantee that Malta will be doing the same any time soon – so that still leaves us in a sit- uation where we can't travel." Camilleri has not yet made contact with the authorities, since proceedings have been through a private adoption agency. However, she said that even if India were to open its airports before Malta, she and her partner would consider contacting the authorities to see if there was the pos- sibility of perhaps providing a chartered flight for this unprecedented situation. "I don't know if the authorities could provide a chartered flight for parents who have been approved, just to go there and come right back because I know at least two other couples who are in the same situation as us," she said. It's not all bad news however: Camilleri said that because of the current siltation they have had multiple video calls online with the child, which usually isn't stand- ard practice. "At least they are becoming more familiar with our voices," she said. Unfortunately for now until borders open, Camilleri and her partner will have to wait and see how the situation plays out. COVID standstill leaves adoptive parents anxious JAMES DEBONO THE United States travel report for Malta has warned prospective tourists that the Maltese are very politically active but allays fears by referring to the peaceful na- ture of anti-government protests. In its annual travel report, the US Department of State's Over- seas Security Advisory Commit- tee welcomed progress on LGB- TI+ rights but warns on the risk of racially-motivated crime in Paceville and the growth of cy- ber-criminals attracted to Malta's "sophisticated" financial sector. Anti-government protests are described as "almost always peaceful" to prospective visitors from the United States, who are advised to exercise "sound judg- ment when in the vicinity of pro- tests". In the wake of last year's an- ti-government protests amidst the meltdown of the Muscat administration, the crime and safety report by OSAC describes the Maltese people as "very ac- tive politically", noting that they "frequently gather to voice dis- satisfaction with government policies." Although these demonstrations are "almost always peaceful", travellers are advised to main- tain "situational awareness" and exercise sound judgement when in the vicinity of protest activity. The report also notes sizea- ble increases in sexual crimes (+21%) as well as retail shoplift- ing (+26%) and thefts at hotels and restaurants (+26%). The report associates Malta's entertainment mecca Paceville with "excessive alcohol con- sumption" and "heavy-handed tactics of nightclub bouncers that can lead to violence, including some that appears to be racially motivated". It also warns visitors that "crim- inals have drugged travellers at bars, and robbed and assaulted them". The report recommends Malta as a safe place for LGBTI+ visi- tors. "Malta has undergone a rap- id evolution of its LGBTI+ laws, to the point that the country regularly ranks as providing the most progressive LGBTI+ rights in Europe". While credit is given to the La- bour government for leading the changes, "much of society has quickly adopted the same pro- gressive attitude, breaking from a long history of social conserv- atism". Malta is also praised for ex- tending its hate crime laws to offer protection on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. While noting that Malta does not break out statistics cov- ering hate crime offenses, "there is no evidence to suggest that Malta performs negatively in this regard". The greatest threat faced by travellers is related to non-violent and non-confrontational street crime, ranging from scams to petty theft. "Theft of cell phones, computers, portable electronics, money, and jewellery is common. Most street criminals do not car- ry weapons, and are not prone to gratuitous violence." Computer-related crime is de- scribed as an area of concern for the Maltese, "as cybercrimes have risen significantly from a decade ago". This is partly attributed "to the sophisticated nature of Mal- ta's IT and financial services sec- tors, where continued growth is expected". The report specifical- ly refers to a "malware incident" which took Bank of Valletta of- fline for 24 hours after hackers stole €13 million in February 2019. Americans warned about Paceville's racist bouncers Peaceful protests, racist bouncers and growth of cybercrime in US travel advisory for Malta Throwing shapes, and fists... nights out at Paceville come with the threat of heavy-handed and unlicensed doormen for whom black patrons are often a target