December 18

The International Convention on Migrant Workers and its Relevance to the Middle East

Date: 08/01/2010 - 12:56

On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary Year of the Migrant Workers Convention, December 18 releases the first paper of a new series of regional papers on the significance of the Convention. The author of the paper, Mariette Grange, argues that in many respects, the Middle East provides exemplary case studies that demonstrate why a specific human rights treaty such as the Convention is necessary.

E-consultation on Migration and Rural Development Launched

Date: 08/02/2010 - 15:47

We are pleased to announce the third series of our e-consultation where we will discuss about the role of migrants and diaspora organisations in rural development.

There are many studies referring to the positive contributions of migrants’ remittances to development. However, many of these policy debates tend to separate remittances from migrants, or better said, they talk about remittances but not the senders of remittances.

USA-Mexico: The 800 Mile Wall

Date: 08/02/2010 - 15:23

A few years ago I grew concerned about the massive escalation of security infrastructure that was being built along the U.S. Mexico border. I was born in Tijuana, Mexico and grew up on the flip side of the border in San Diego, California only a few hundred yards from the actual borderline. As a kid, there were always border patrol around but I never felt threatened by our proximity to Mexico. As an adult, I couldn't figure out what had changed. Why, six long years after 9/11, were Mexico and our neighbors to the south a threat to our safety and sovereignty?

2010: The Year of the Right to Migrate ?

Date: 08/02/2010 - 15:04

Deploring the hardening of immigration policies, particularly in European countries, at a time when new factors linked to climatic change have increased the numbers of those needing to leave their countries, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently underlined how difficult it was today to tell ’a climate refugee from an economic one, a forced exodus from a chosen migration.’ At the same time, Jacques Barrot, European commissioner responsible for immigration, has backed a policy which avoids ’men and women fleeing poverty or war becoming vict

Indonesia and Malaysia close to deal on protection migrant workers

Date: 08/02/2010 - 10:19

Malaysia and Indonesia are close to signing a comprehensive agreement on migrant workers that will better protect Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia from abuse by employers.

Both governments have settled all differences except for the issue of minimum salary for the more than 2 million Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Da’i Bachtiar said.

Burmese migrant workers fear new Thai work permit rules

Date: 22/01/2010 - 14:12

Burmese migrant workers in Thailand fear new immigration and work permit procedures will make life harder for them and their families back home. Thai authorities say the new procedures will curb illegal migration but rights activists say the measures threaten the migrants' security.

The Thai cabinet has recently ordered migrant workers to verify their nationality to qualify for work permits.

The new guidelines cover over one million legal Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, as well as more than 200,000 workers from Laos and Cambodia.

Connecting the Dots: A Fresh Look at Managing International Migration

Date: 08/02/2010 - 15:31

Over a period of three months, ICMC has consulted leading policy makers and actors within the migration field, bringing them together for informal discussions on the diverse challenges associated with global migration flows and approaches, and to discuss ways to improve international migration management. Connecting the dots offers a summary report of these first conversations, including recommendations for next steps.

Download the paper here

USA: Working without Laws

Date: 08/02/2010 - 15:09

Last week, the National Employment Law Project released Working Without Laws, a landmark study exposing systematic and routine violations of employment and labor laws in core sectors of the economy in New York City. In industries ranging from construction, food manufacturing and industrial laundries to restaurants, janitorial services and home health care, workers are enduring minimum wage, overtime and off-the-clock violations at alarming rates, and face retaliation for speaking up or trying to organize.

Over the Wall: A Tour of Italy's Migrant Centres

Date: 08/02/2010 - 14:50

This report is the fruit of a survey carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières-Missione Italia on the social and health conditions, state of the facilities, management, standards of services supplied and respect for rights in the detention centres for immigrants without residence permits (CIE) and the reception Centres for asylum applicants and migrants (CARA and CDA).

English abstract: click here

Criminalisation of Migration in Europe: Human Rights Implications

Date: 08/02/2010 - 09:08

On 29 September 2008, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (the Commissioner) issued a Viewpoint expressing his concern regarding the trend to criminalize the irregular entry and presence of migrants in Europe presented as part of a policy of migration management.

Rosarno, Reggio di Calabria: Call for appeasement measures respectful of human rights

Date: 12/01/2010 - 09:01

The European association for the defense of Human rights, AEDH, joins forces with the Liga Italiana dei Diritti dell’Uomo, LIDU, to ask that Italian authorities take the vital appeasement steps necessary to re-establish a constructive dialogue between the authorities in charge of public safety, the local population and immigrants living in the town of Rosarno (Reggio de Calabre).