The Minister for Justice Jonathan Attard attended a ministerial conference on the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime organized in the Giovanni Falcone and Paulo Borsellino Hall, in Palermo, Italy.
The meeting focused on three main themes that dealt with legal and judicial instruments, tools and best practices to fight against the phenomenon of human trafficking and immigration, and the main priorities for the road ‘ forward. The theme of legal and judicial instruments, national actions and related challenges, gave an opportunity for the member countries to talk about the initiatives being taken to address a common challenge among several countries, that linked to the trafficking of persons and immigrants.
During this discussion, Minister Jonathan Attard reiterated how extensive inter-ministerial work is being done in Malta in this area to ensure that our country has all the necessary tools from a legal and juridical point of view to take the necessary actions in the confronting this phenomenon. “In Malta, work is underway to repatriate those people who are not entitled to reside in Malta in accordance with the provisions in the Protocol, however, the process is not always a simple one, particularly since many of the immigrants are without documents . At the same time, Malta cooperates with Libya, and recognizes the work of the Libyan coast guard in preventing irregular departures,” repeated Minister Attard.
In this regard, the Minister also mentioned how in the last few days Malta hosted the MED9, where immigration was one of the main points on the agenda between the leaders. Minister Jonathan Attard closed by reiterating that the Directorate of Human Rights is working, in partnership with the Council of Europe, and in cooperation with the European Commission, on the design of a Strategy and Plan of New Action on Human Trafficking. This plan will continue to strengthen Malta’s anti-trafficking scenario, both in terms of prosecuting the accused and protecting the victims.
Photo: MFJ
