Abstract
Maltese immigration law means that individuals seeking asylum in this country undergo a period of mandatory detention upon arrival lasting a maximum of 18 months. During their stay in detention centres, these individuals are exposed to an environment characterised by loss of liberty, prolonged inactivity, disconnection to family and the outside world and lack of adequate information about ongoing legal proceedings. It is hardly surprising that such a prolonged period of limbo, awash with isolation, uncertainty and degradation, has a negative impact on the mental health of individuals who, in the vast majority, have already experienced multiple personal losses. Research has in fact indicated that the majority of migrants detained in Europe reported deterioration in their mental health during their stay in detention. This article explores the impact of psychological support groups provided by non-state actors in Maltese detention centres aimed at educating about mental health issues, as well as at providing participants with a space where they can openly discuss their psychological difficulties and collaboratively explore ways to enhance their mental health within the constraints of detention. This paper discusses the challenges and benefits of conducting such a programme with an emphasis on how participants viewed the opportunity provided. This discussion analyses how these groups functioned as a medium enabling participants to voice their phenomenological experience of detention on both an individual and collective level and as an arena for negotiating a sense of self that is resilient to the experience of forced detention. In conclusion, this paper provides suggestions on how to address the psychological needs of migrants in closed centres.
Highlights
Overview of migration flows into Malta Every year, scores of migrants reach the Maltese islands, approximately 15,000 in the decade between 2002 and 2012 (Human Rights Watch 2012)
The Maltese asylum procedure allows for the granting of Temporary Humanitarian Protection (THP) to those who do not qualify for international protection, but cannot be returned to their country because of reasons related to age, physical and mental health or other humanitarian considerations (Jesuit Refugee Service Malta 2008)
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta strives to provide legal and psychosocial assistance to asylum seekers who arrive on this island with a particular emphasis on addressing the needs of those detained in closed centres
Summary
Overview of migration flows into Malta Every year, scores of migrants reach the Maltese islands, approximately 15,000 in the decade between 2002 and 2012 (Human Rights Watch 2012). Caruana and Rossi Journal of International Humanitarian Action Almost all of these migrants apply for asylum upon arrival setting in motion a number of processes dictated by Maltese immigration law that will determine who will be granted international protection in Malta. Close contact with individuals detained for months in these centres has made JRS acutely aware of the psychological difficulties these persons face and the myriad adverse mental health consequences they suffer from. In response to this need, over the recent years JRS Malta has strived to offer professional psychological services to migrants in detention and one of the initiatives implemented in this regard was the organisation of psychological support groups
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