Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/434696
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 17 DECEMBER 2014 News Asylum seekers face adverse conditions at Mount Carmel, Jesuits warn ASYLUM seekers who are treated for mental health problems in the Asylum Seekers Unit (ASU) at Mount Carmel Hospital face harsh and po- tentially adverse conditions, the Jesuit Refugee Centre warned. "They are placed in Spartan condi- tions, in single rooms with only a bed and a toilet bowl," JRS psychologist Julian Caruana said. "Since the toilet flushing is outside their cells, they have to call a guard when they want their waste flushed. They have no rec- reational facilities or therapy rooms and they are not allowed to leave their wards at any time. Their only free time is when they get an hour off to walk down the corridors. Their con- ditions are so bad that some patients have actually asked to be transferred back to detention centres." Moreover, Caruana warned that the ASU only caters for 10 people at any given moment and faces problems of over-crowding. To make matters worse, the unit also accommodates female prisoners with drug abuse is- sues. He was speaking at the launch of a report into the provision of mental health care for detained asylum seek- ers that he co-authored with psychol- ogist Alexia Rossi. The report, based on a study among 74 patients between December 2013 and June 2014, indicates that auditory hallucinations are the most common- ly reported mental health syndrome, followed by mood disturbances, sui- cide ideations and insomnia. "The psychological distress asy- lum seekers face as a result of their traumatic journeys coupled with the adverse effects of detention impact negatively on their mental health," Caruana said. "We need to move away from the simplistic hypothesis that asylum seekers fake mental illnesses so as to avoid deportation. The only countries that Malta repatriates im- migrants to are Ghana and Nigeria and only 26% of those 74 patients hailed from those two countries." Indeed, according to the report, 31 (41.9%) of those 74 patients had at- tempted suicide while in the deten- tion centre. Of these, three people also attempted suicide repeatedly while in the asylum unit at Mount Carmel. Caruana also pointed out that the vast majority (70%) of patients could not speak English or Maltese and re- quired interpretation. However, 33% of them either had no access to inter- preters or only had access to untrained interpreters such as fellow detainees. "Sometimes, it is even more dan- gerous for a detainee to have an un- trained interpreter than to have no in- terpreter at all," Caruana said. "Apart from the issues of translation, men- tal health problems are very heavily stigmatised in detention centres and detainees might not be comfortable speaking about such problems to a fellow detainee." As solutions, he recommended that health centres set up outreach clinics within detention centres that would provide the services of a doctor, nurse and social worker on a regular basis, and of more specialised mental health professionals on a less frequent basis. He also suggested that inpatient men- tal health services become more tar- geted to the specific problems faced by detainees, such as issues of past trauma, multiple losses, anxiety and insecurity. With regard to the situation at Mount Carmel, he said that the Asy- lum Services Unit should become less of a "secure space" and more of a "therapeutic space". "Their rooms could become more hygienic, with toilets outside their rooms," the report said. "Common areas can be furnished with com- fortable seating and equipped with recreational options for reading, lis- tening to music, drawing, socialising and watching TV. Patients should also be allowed to spend most of their free time outside their wards." He also repeated UN human rights expert Francois Crepeau's call for Malta to step up its preparations for a considerable increase in the number of refugee arrivals next year. "Not many refugees arrived this year, but Italy's Mare Nostrum opera- tion has now been cancelled," Caruana said. "We should start thinking about creating an asylum seekers' unit that caters for more than 10 people." In parliament yesterday evening, parliamentary secretary for health Chris Fearne said he had yet to read the report but said he would discuss it with both the health department and Mount Carmel Hospital's manage- ment. Pressed by shadow health minister Claudio Grech, Fearne said the parlia- mentary secretariat for health would react to the report once "we analyse it and decide what action to take based on its recommendations." Asylum seekers on their craft, reaching out for a life jacket Home Affairs Minister seeks national immigration policy MIRIAM DALLI HOME Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela held a meeting with a number of human rights organisations fol- lowing a public call by the NGOs to meet him. Abela has now vowed to meet NGOs regularly to discuss migra- tion issues and detention policy. NGOs on Friday expressed disgust at the way a report by judge Geof- frey Valenzia into the death of Mal- ian migrant Mamadou Kamara in 2012 had been gathering dust with no visible action being taken on it. "I want to meet the NGOs alto- gether. I'd be happy to meet them at the ministry and listen to them. It's my first week so I am in listen- ing mode and want to seek constant dialogue with them," Abela told MaltaToday on Sunday. "We will be following up on the Valenzia report, but I need more time to consult with ministry offi- cials. I have my own views on migra- tion, which is why I want to speak to NGOs about more than just deten- tion." Now, a week since his appoint- ment to the Cabinet, Abela met KO- PIN, Malta Emigrants Commission, Integra, aditus Foundation, JRS, Migrants Network for Equality, the Organisation for Friendship in Di- versity and SOS Malta. According to a government state- ment, the NGOs welcomed this meeting and expressed optimism for dialogue to remain open and structured. The newly appointed minister called for a national policy on im- migration, bringing together the works and responsibilities spread across various ministries. "The NGOs have also agreed to take part in this process. On his part, the minister emphasised that he deemed NGOs as partners," the government statement said. Last week, the NGOs said that the Valenzia Report into the death of Mamadou Kamara was "a scathing commentary on the way Malta has freely decided to treat men, women and children who are running for their lives."