Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1536968
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JUNE 2025 FEATURE 'It makes no sense TCNs on appeal cannot work' - Manav Sanger Among those at the forefront in the fight against this modern slavery is Manav Sanger, an Indian man living in Malta whose mission is to help and edu- cate struggling TCNs. Once struggling with homelessness himself, Sanger, a social worker, is very active in Maltese society. Over the years, he has built a reputa- tion off his work with TCNs to the point where he is now stopped in the street and bombarded with messages from abused workers. Sanger now works with the GWU as their TCN Liaison Officer. Speaking with MaltaToday, Sanger says he loves Malta with all his heart, and that is why he fights for its residents and workers. But his work is not without its risks. It has exposed him to human traffickers, who profit off abusive practices. Sanger tells this newspaper that he is a target for human traffickers and has received death threats warning him not to return to India. Sanger appeals to the Maltese au- thorities for systemic changes that take TCN's lives and wellbeing into account. He says the fact that TCNs cannot work while on appeal makes no sense. If they are allowed to work, there would be fewer new workers entering Malta to replace those who are technically una- ble to work. He also calls on Maltese not to hate TCNs, who are sometimes blamed for "stealing jobs". He explains that em- ployers find it easier to employ TCNs because these are more likely to accept unfavourable wages and conditions. One day, Tanika went on holiday with the employer's permission. Un- fortunately, she had no idea that while abroad, her employment was terminat- ed. She only found out when she asked her boss for the work schedule and was told that she is no longer an employee at the establishment. Tanika told MaltaToday that she has since found out she is not the first em- ployee at this establishment who was blindsided by the employer. Once again, she now lives in a state of limbo, anx- ious that she will be kicked out and at the mercy of any new employer who may take her on. Farid and Jai: The students scammed out of thousands of euros Farid's* and Jai's* stories are somewhat different. They arrived in Malta, not on work visas, but on student visas. Farid arrived here in 2019 to study, and he tells this newspaper that one day he met a Maltese man who offered him a chance to bring friends and family to work in Malta by applying for a visa. At a rate of €300 per applicant, Farid gave the Maltese man 40 names for a to- tal of €12,000 that he had saved up. De- spite receiving the money, the Maltese recruiter left Farid and the applicants in the dark. Eventually, the recruiter only sent Farid two broken links that con- nect to the Identità website. Although Farid says he managed to get a fraction of his money back, he is still chasing the man for his money two years later. Jai, on the other hand, is a fresh gradu- ate from a college in Malta where he fin- ished his management course only days before speaking to this newspaper. He paid his agent €7,000 and was accepted in the course. But despite ending his studies, the col- lege refused to give him his completion certificate claiming his agent never paid his fees. Throughout his studies, the college never told him about unpaid fees, and Jai even produced proof of payment. But the college left him without a cer- tificate. They did however offer the stu- dent "a reduced" fee to settle the issue. The college offered him his certificate for no less than €4,000 that could be paid out in monthly instalments. Luckily, trade union Solidarjetà stepped in, and he received his comple- tion certificate without having to pay more fees. Manu: Rendered illegal because of landlord's fraudulent declarations From all the people who spoke to Mal- taToday, Manu* is the one who paid the highest fee to enter Malta. He gave his recruiter, a Maltese man, €12,000. The recruiter told Manu he would make arrangements for him to come over to Malta but it was his job to find employ- ment once on the island. Eventually, some months after arriving in Malta, Manu decided to change job. But before he could do so, he received a letter from Identità informing him that his residence permit was being revoked due to false declarations regarding the address where he was residing. It turned out that Manu was one of the hundreds of TCNs allegedly swindled by Harold Mamo, a private tutor who was arraigned and accused of creating fake lease agreements last year. In 2024, an investigation launched by Identità found that four TCNs were registered at an Msida address and over 100 at an- other property owned by Mamo. Police had seized €8,940 in cash, rental agreements, and notifications addressed to TCNs during a search of Mamo's bar- ber shop. Financial records showed that Mamo declared significant rental in- come between 2019 and 2023, with 540 agreements registered in 2023 alone. From his end, Manu has appealed his revocation, but in the meantime cannot apply to change his address pending the appeals process. This means that he is currently residing at his new address il- legally. Identità offices (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Food couriers (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)