'Not justice but public humiliation', Church on homeless arrests
Malta Refugee Council says the government is 'flexing their muscles'
Updated at 10.40am with the Church's Justice and Peace Commission statement
The Church’s Justice and Peace Commission has hit out at the legal system, which “too often punishes those in need, instead of offering a helping hand”, after 12 homeless people were arrested earlier this week.
In a statement on Friday, the Commission said criminalising people who are in survival mode is failing to recognise the dignity of people who are living in severe hardship.
“What unfolded was not justice but public humiliation for individuals who have nowhere to turn,” the commission said.
“This moment of neglect and indifference shows how vulnerable individuals, whether facing poverty, addiction, mental health issues, or a combination of these, are treated as problems rather than as human beings deserving of support.”
On Wednesday, 12 homeless people were charged in court after a police raid in Marsa targeted homeless individuals and those begging in public.
The group were brought before Magistrate Jean Paul Grech in three separate hearings. The first involved 10 men aged 24 to 51 from Somalia, Sudan, Gambia, Italy, Nigeria, and Libya.
The Commission said the incident revealed the degree to which society has “normalised” the marginalisation of people who have complex needs, those who are poor, addicted, mentally unwell and unable to meet social expectations.
Individuals seens as problems, not human beings
“Far too often, these individuals are not seen as human beings, but as problems, disruptive, inconvenient, and unworthy of empathy. This perception reflects a broader failure to invest in meaningful services, especially specialised low-threshold shelters and mental health support systems.”
The Commission called for urgent actions to address this crisis and to reform laws that criminalise survival behaviours. It also called for an investment in services that aid people in such desperate needs. It also recognised the tireless work of NGOs, who provide care and accompaniment.
"The Justice and Peace Commission stresses that this issue is not only about housing or criminal law. It is about a lack of political will to prioritise the needs of the most excluded and an unwillingness, on both societal and personal levels, to see dignity in those who are difficult to love. The people brought before the court are the result of long-standing policy gaps and systemic neglect."
The Commission ended the statement highlighting how the government is not only responsible in this shift of mentality, but said each community, parish and person is responsible.
"Indifference is complicity. The dignity oftwelve individuals was placed on trial, but it is the moral conscience of the nation thatis now being tested."
Government 'flexing it's muscles' against weakest in society
In a statement, the Malta Refugee Council described the arrest of the 12 homeless people, including refugees, as an “unacceptable show of force” by a government “flexing its muscles” against the weakest in society.
In a statement, the council questioned the fairness of the judicial system, which failed to listen to their individual stories and did not question their circumstances and backgrounds.
“Refugees deserve protection, not prosecution. The same, of course, applies to Maltese and other nationals in these difficult circumstances. It is our duty to stand up for them, with them.”
The council highlighted how unhoused refugees are often a result of gaps in national protection systems and are often among the most vulnerable members of our communities who struggle to do even the most basic of tasks.
The council said it felt “speechless” when it heard about the arrest, and highlighted how, according to United Nations studies, at least one of three refugees meet diagnostic criteria for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
“The experience of being stripped from their communities is in itself deeply traumatic, often leaving refugees without any of the support structures we too often take for granted: family, friends, organisations, police, social service, and health providers,” the statement reads.
YMCA, which provides services to the homeless, noted how the attendance at the drop-in centre in Ħamrun halved just a day after the 12 homeless people were arraigned in court. The NGO's CEO warned that the authorities' approach has "put homelessness in Malta back 20 years".
'Sleeping rough is not a personal choice'
In a press release on Friday, the Anti-Poverty Forum emphasised how sleeping rough is not a personal choice but the result of systematic failures that leave people marginalised and excluded.
“Prosecuting and imprisoning homeless people does not address the growing issue of rooflessness in Malta. APF upholds the dignity and value of each person and urges the authorities to find alternative means to deal with these issues more humanely and respectfully.”