“Detention is Not a Solution”: Maltese Groups Call for End to Migrant Detention

A broad group of Maltese organizations and community members is speaking out against the way migrants are being treated in Malta — especially those held in detention centres like Safi.

Activists reunited in protest at the gate of the Safi detention center on the 28th April. Photo Graffitti

In a joint statement signed by 17 organisations, the group calls on authorities to stop locking up vulnerable people, including children, women, and LGBTIQ+ individuals, and instead use safer, more humane alternatives that already exist in Malta.

“Let freedom be the norm,” the group said. “We believe everyone — especially children and vulnerable people — deserves liberty, fair treatment, and the chance to live with dignity.”

According to the statement, many migrants who arrive by sea are taken straight to detention, often without proper medical or legal support. Others who have lived and worked in Malta for years are suddenly detained and deported. The groups argue that this practice is not only harmful, but also unnecessary.

Independent reports back up their concerns. The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture described Safi as severely overcrowded, with people “locked in accommodation units with little, if any, access to time outside… essentially forgotten for months on end.”

The conditions, the report said, “may well amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.”

There are also serious concerns about health care in detention. The group says that vulnerable people — including those with complex medical and mental health needs — are being held simply because services are provided onsite. But those services are limited, and people are being denied access to outside specialists who could better help them.

In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Maltese government to pay €28,000 in compensation to a teenager held for 225 days in such conditions, despite his health problems.

The coalition of organizations says there’s a better way. They point to alternatives like allowing people to live in the community or open centres under supervision — a system already in place in Malta. These options cost less than detention and allow people to live with dignity and contribute to society.

“We cannot just stand by while people are locked away in conditions that harm their bodies and minds,” the group said. “There are better, fairer ways that already work.”

The coalition is asking the authorities to:

• Release all vulnerable people currently in detention, including children and LGBTIQ+ individuals

• Allow independent NGOs and lawyers better access to Safi

• Stop locking up people who pose no threat

• Use community-based alternatives instead of detention

• Stop immigration raids that target people who have lived in Malta for years

Endorsed by: Aditus Foundation, African Media Association Malta, Blue Door Education, Dance Beyond Borders, Doctors for Choice, Fondazzjoni Sebħ, Jesuit Refugee Service Malta, Kunsill Nazzjonali taż-Żgħażagħ - KNŻ, Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement, Migrant Women Association Malta, Migrants Commission, Moviment Graffitti, PEN Malta, Richmond Foundation, Solidarjetà Union, SOS Malta.