Undocumented Migrants

Toronto declared ‘sanctuary city’ to non-status migrants

Date: 24/02/2013 - 12:23

Toronto has made history by affirming itself as a “sanctuary city,” the first Canadian city with a formal policy allowing undocumented migrants to access services regardless of immigration status.

On Thursday, City Council passed the motion by a vote of 37 to 3 that also requires training all city staff and managers to ensure Toronto’s estimated 200,000 non-status residents can access its services without fear of being turned over to border enforcement officers for detention and deportation.

Challenging the Myth of the Undesirability of Low-Skilled Labour in the EU

Date: 12/02/2013 - 08:52

When EU countries visualise an ideal immigrant, a highly-skilled and educated immigrant comes to mind. For many, the highly-skilled and skilled represent the only ´legitimate´ form of immigration. EU immigration policy in its current form is characterised by three main dimensions: attracting highly-skilled workers, deterring irregular migration, and promoting the integration of third country nationals. The EU approach is one of increased migration management so that Europe receives legal migration, particularly in sectors that are lacking in personnel.

A European Spoon River: migrants without names, without voices and without rights

Date: 06/02/2013 - 15:15

As economic logic supplants all other considerations in crisis-ridden Europe, the plight of immigrants who knock on the doors of Fortress Europe becomes inextricable, often ending with tragic consequences.

Italie: Les renvois de migrants vers la Grèce constituent une violation de leurs droits

Date: 22/01/2013 - 13:37

L'Italie renvoie de manière sommaire des mineurs migrants non accompagnés et de demandeurs d'asile adultes vers la Grèce, où ils subissent les dysfonctionnements du système d'asile et des conditions de détention abusives, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans unrapport publié aujourd'hui.

Italy: Summary Returns to Greece Violate Rights

Date: 22/01/2013 - 13:36

 Italy is summarily returning unaccompanied migrant children and adult asylum seekers to Greece, where they face a dysfunctional asylum system and abusive detention conditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today.

Bolivia: Los migrantes no son invisibles

Date: 13/12/2012 - 14:22

Este 14 de diciembre en la Plaza San Francisco por los derechos de las personas migrantes. Adhesión por el Día Internacional de los Migrantes.

En el marco del Día Internacional de los Migrantes,  tendrá lugar en la ciudad de La Paz el primer flash-mob con el slogan “Los migranrtes no son invisibles”.

The invisible world of domestic work: Report documents abuses

Date: 08/12/2012 - 09:41

Anna worked seven days a week as a nanny for the family of a Fortune 500 company executive. She lived with them in their 5th Avenue apartment in Midtown Manhattan. Her day began at 6 when the children woke up and didn't end until 10 at night when she put them to bed and cleaned the kitchen.

She cooked meals, did laundry and tended to the children's needs. She slept on the floor in between their beds. She did not have a single day off in 15 months.

Irregular migrants stuck in Greece are also the European Union’s responsibility, says UN expert

Date: 05/12/2012 - 14:21

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, stressed today that the plight of the growing number of irregular migrants trapped in Greece on their way to other European Union destinations requires a EU-wide approach focused on human rights. He also urged the Greek Government to step up its efforts to ensure that the rights of all migrants within its territory are fully respected.

A victory against modern day slavery

Date: 04/12/2012 - 10:50

The ILO Domestic Workers Convention was unthinkable just a few years ago. It represents the culmination of years of effort by domestic workers, advocates, and officials to shine a spotlight on a long-ignored but significant sector of the workforce, says Nisha Varia.

If someone had told me 45 years ago that we would be here today, I would not have believed it. We do not have to be slaves anymore. — Myrtle Witbooi, chair of the International Domestic Workers Network and former domestic worker from South Africa, Geneva, June 10, 2011

Clandestins : l’Odyssée invisible

Date: 28/11/2012 - 10:15

Mahmoud Traoré, jeune menuisier de Casamance, a mis trois ans et demi pour parcourir la distance qui sépare Dakar de Séville, quand un touriste européen aurait mis à peine trois heures en avion. Dans un livre cosigné avec Bruno Le Dantec,« DEM AK XABAAR » (Partir et raconter), Récit d’un clandestin africain en route vers l’Europe (éditions Lignes, 2012), il décrit avec précision et humilité l’odyssée moderne des migrants subsahariens, ses « camarades d’aventure », candidats au voyage vers les promesses incertaines d’un Occident inhospitalier.

December 18 is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

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