Commissioner for Children joins call for migrants to be brought ashore

Children's Commissioner Pauline Miceli has joined Pope Francis's plea for the 49 migrants, which include children, to be brought ashore.

This comes a day after Joseph Muscat’s One Radio interview on Sunday where he said that it was his responsibility to avoid setting a precedent by accepting to take in the 49 migrants who are currently stranded off Malta’s coast on two NGO ships.

The Office said that the fundamental right to health and safety of those onboard the vessels, especially that of the children and unaccompanied minors, supersedes any diplomatic negotiations that are holding up the disembarkation of these migrants in a safe port.

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Miceli joined the call made by the Pope along with other organisations, to appeal to all political leaders, at national and European Level, to cooperate on a humanitarian level to ensure that these migrants are brought to safety.

The Office added that it commended the Maltese government for allowing the ships to shelter in territorial waters but appealed for solidarity and the voice of reason to prevail.

Miceli urged the government to step up negotiations and find a solution to save these lives, along with strategies to prevent similar incidents from recurring.