World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday

The quest to reunite families Somalis Fathia and Deka have one thing in common apart from their nationality, they both lost a loved one in the Mediterranean when the boats they were travelling in capsized. Fathia's calmness hid her deep sadness as she recounted how five months ago her six-month-old daughter Sihem drowned during a perilous journey from Libya.

With the help of an interpreter, Deka narrated a similar fate. In November her husband died while they were crossing from Libya in the hope of reaching a European shore.

The similarities do not stop there. Both women managed to save their own lives by holding on to a jerry can and waiting for someone to pull them out of the water.

In a soft voice, Fathia explained how 17 out of her 34 fellow travellers lost their lives in the Mediterranean. She now lives in Malta on her own; her husband remains in Libya. Her greatest wish is for a better life and for the government to help her get to San Francisco where her sister lives.

Close by, 14-month-old Emran smiles as he babbles away, oblivious to all the suffering around him. He was born in Malta after his pregnant mother, Sahar, fled Sudan. This was not the first time the 22-year-old former soldier had been on the run; some years before she had run away from her homeland, Eritrea. Emran has never met his Sudanese father, although he sometimes hears his voice over the phone, she explained in broken Maltese.

The problems faced by dispersed families is something that concerns Emigrants Commission director Mgr Philip Calleja, and something he would like to see solved. He pointed out that there are 223 people in Malta - who were granted refugee or humanitarian status - separated from their families.

"It is very worrying to see dispersed families who do not get reunited for three, four or five years. Some families break under this pressure," he said during a press conference yesterday.

Some, he continued, even left their small children behind. At times, family members board different boats to leave Africa and end up in different countries. Others drown at sea. And when they get to Malta, they hear about a tragedy in their family.

"People need to think about these things," he said.

Mgr Calleja said that although those who are granted refugee status had the right to bring the rest of their family to Malta, this was not an easy feat. "How are you going to get them out of their country and who is going to pay for their journey," he asked.

"Being reunited with family members is not a government concession but a human right," Mgr Calleja insisted.

He pointed out, that considering Malta's size, it was very difficult for the government to get these people's family members, which amount to about 600. However, in two weeks' time, 30 people will be leaving for the US, which is trying to reunite some of the dispersed families.

"The government needs to knock on more doors and try to get more countries to follow in the footsteps of the US. More than half of these people have family members in America, Canada, Australia or in a European country," he added.

Pope's message

The painful condition in which immigrants live is a reflection of the Holy Family's plight when it had to leave for Egypt at night to flee the persecution of King Herod, Pope Benedict XVI said in his message for Sunday's World Day of Migrants and Refugees. He said the theme for this year's day - The Migrant Family - intends to underline the Church's commitment not only in favour of the individual migrant, but also of his family.

"The migrant's family meets many difficulties. The distance of its members from one another and unsuccessful reunification often result in breaking the original ties. New relationships are formed and new affections arise. Some migrants forget the past and their duties, as they are subjected to the hard trial of distance and solitude. If the immigrant family is not ensured of a real possibility of inclusion and participation, it is difficult to expect its harmonious development," he said.

The Pope said that although a lot was already being done for the integration of the families of immigrants, much remained to be done. He called attention to the families of refugees, saying that their conditions "seem to have gone worse in comparison with the past". Apart from the logistical difficulties they encounter in camps, and those linked to trauma and emotional stress caused by tragic experiences, there is also the risk of women and children being involved in sexual exploitation, as a survival mechanism. He emphasised the need of an attentive pastoral presence to help them.

"It is necessary to encourage those who are interiorly-wrecked to recover trust in themselves."