A grouping of 18 non-government organisations is calling for assistance and policy changes to help migrants who are living in poverty after having been asked to leave open centres.

"These people, about 30 mostly women and children, have no money and they even lack food," Vince Caruana, chairman of SKOP, told timesofmalta.com.

He said these people were living with other migrants in rented apartments in the area of St Paul's Bay and Qawra and lacked basic necessities, such as nappies for the babies.

"This is absolute poverty by any definition," he said.

"Refusing or failing to acknowledge such categories of people is a sure way to guarantee that their needs will not be met. The situation is only set to worsen with the regulations where migrants are sent out of open centres after a specified period of time."

He said the authorities needed to meet these people to discuss their needs.

SKOP, he said, is an unmbrella organisation of NGOs involved in development issues. Its purpose is to lobby for policy changes, but several of its members had taken the initiative to coordinate assistance to the migrants. (Tel number. 21315562).