Thousands of euro has been raised in less than a day to help injured and abandoned Gambian migrant worker Jaiteh Lamin as he is due to undergo surgery at Mater Dei.
The 32-year-old from the Gambia was dumped on the side of a road in Mellieħa on Tuesday after fracturing his spine in a two-storey fall at a construction site.
His employer, Glen Farrugia, was charged with grievous bodily harm when he appeared in court on Thursday.
The incident sparked widespread outrage after pictures and video showed Lamin in distress on Selmun Road after being allegedly dragged from a van and abandoned by Farrugia, who denies any wrongdoing.
Family and friends, who visited Lamin in the hospital said he needed surgery, understood to be for his arm injuries.
Lamin has told Times of Malta he could not believe anyone could treat another human being as he was treated.
But amid the outrage over the case, there have also been many offers of help.
NGO Victim Support Malta launched a fundraiser on Thursday to help Lamin cover his medical bills and support his family while he is recovering. Within hours, more than €5,000 was raised, half of the €10,000 target.
“Malta was a country known for its heart of gold and generous spirit. Let’s balance the scale and convert our anger and outrage into positive action in aid of this other fellow human,” the organization said.
“This human is now facing high medical bills, uncertainty regarding paid work in the future as well as a lack of being able to provide for himself and his family,” it added.
A lawyer has also offered her services pro bono to the injured migrant worker.
Human rights lawyer and activist, Emma Portelli Bonnici said she wants to “help out in any way I can” and so has offered her legal services to Lamin, who will have to appear in court to give testimony in the criminal case.
Deeply angered by what happened, Norbert Attard, owner of Clima755, an airconditioning company, said he was willing to offer Lamin alternative work to the construction industry.
“I couldn’t believe that a human being could do this to another human being,” he said.
“After hearing about it I thought I could help by giving him work as a store assistant or some other job that suits him in the company.”
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