European court warns Malta to treat unaccompanied minors humanely

The European Court of Human Rights has warned Malta to treat migrant children travelling on their own in a humane manner, after a local NGO urged the government to release seven detained minors.

The seven children were rescued at sea on November 18 together with another 40 people.

They were immediately detained at the so-called China House in Ħal Far and issued detention orders on November 30.

According to aditus, the NGO calling for their release, the Immigration Appeals Board issued one single decision for the whole group on December 6. Despite aditus calling for the appointment of legal guardians to safeguard the children’s interests, the board declared that their detention was legal.

When aditus reached out to the unaccompanied minors, who are all Bangladeshi nationals, they said they were being detained with adults and did not have access to an outside yard, a common area and a prayer room, and could not make calls.

They also said there was no interpreter to help them communicate with the guards and had not been provided with adequate winter clothes.

In its request to the court, aditus explained that the detained children were suffering from the cold weather also because...