C O N F I D E N T I A L VALLETTA 000160

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, DRL, PRM, IWI, EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2019
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF MT
SUBJECT: MALTA'S ASSISTED VOLUNTARY RETURNS PROGRAM SENDS
POSSIBLE TIP VICTIM BACK TO NIGERIA

REF: 08 VALLETTA 303

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jason Davis for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) On April 2 Charge' met Ives De Barro, a former Maltese
Ambassador to Cairo who is now heading Malta's Assited
Voluntary Returns (AVR) program for irregular migrants. Under
the AVR program, immigrants who willingly leave Malta are
flow at GoM expense back to their home countries and given
5000 euros to assist them in building a better life for
themselves.


2. (C) De Barro said the program had been up and running for
several months, and had so far repatriated a total of 112
immigrants, all of whom had been turned down for protected
status in Malta. The largest numbers of participants had
come from Ghana (approximately 40 individuals), Nigeria
(approximately 30), and Sudan (20). De Barro said the program
was ongoing, with additional 40 "pending" and an average of
30 traveling per month.


3. (C) De Barro said he and his small staff played the role
of salesmen -- getting word of the program out to the
immigrant community and attempting to convince them that it
was in their interest to go home with cash in their pockets.
The the biggest limiting factor was documentation, with some
African countries being faster than others at confirming the
nationality of their citizens and providing them with
passports.


4. (C) Unprompted, De Barro brought up one case he had found
particular interesting: a group of four Nigerian women who he
believed had been planning to work in the sex trade in Italy
when they were rescued at sea and brought instead to Malta
(note: given the small numbers of east African women who come
to Malta, it seems almost certain that these are the same
four potential victims of trafficking mentioned reftel, who
were identified and released from detention due to their
vulnerability.) De Barro told the Charge' he had nearly
convinced all four women to accept the airline tickets and
return with the 5000 euros, but that they had been fearful of
the "reception" they would receive back in Nigeria. In the
end, he said, they had agreed that one of their number would
return, and then report back to the other three. The return
had been several weeks previously, he said, and he had so far
not heard whether the woman who traveled had gotten back in
contact with the women remaining in Malta.

DAVIS