Goodbye from December 18 and Radio1812

Date: 22/04/2013 - 09:08

Dear colleagues and friends,

Two years ago we announced that because of a difficult funding situation, we were closing down our office in Brussels and putting some activities of our organization on hold.

Despite these difficult decisions we did manage to pull off two further successful editions of the annual Radio1812 event and even introduced some new elements such as the Odysseia audio magazine. This would not have been possible without the continued - although very limited - financial support and the contributions from the team of volunteers.

ECRE and Amnesty International Joint Briefing on the Commission proposal to amend the Frontex Regulation

Date: 08/10/2010 - 07:10

Amnesty International and ECRE publish a joint briefing on the European Commission proposal amending the Frontex founding Regulation. The briefing outlines Amnesty and ECRE's views on the proposal and presents their recommendations for possible amendments. In particular, Amnesty International and ECRE stress that increased powers for the Agency should be accompanied with enhanced accountability, more transparency and independent monitoring and control of Member States and Frontex activities within the context of border control operations.

Work to improve status of Azerbaijani migrant workers in Russia is underway

Date: 21/09/2010 - 09:09

The Azerbaijani Parliamentary Social Policy Committee discussed a draft law on ratification of the convention "On the legal status of migrant workers and their families in CIS member-states" on Friday.

UK: Putting a stop to anti-immigrant attitudes

Date: 21/09/2010 - 09:12

Charities and non-government organisations have traditionally concentrated on the "coalface" of immigration by supporting families and individuals as they fight the UK Border Agency and the Home Office for their rights to live and work in Britain.

But there is increasing concern that legal and policy work is undermined at every turn because politicians remain convinced that appearing "soft" on immigration will lose votes at elections.

JRS Europe releases new report on detention in Europe

Date: 09/09/2010 - 10:30

JRS--Europe's 400-page report on detention in Europe called "Becoming Vulnerable in Detention" was released at a June 8th conference held in Brussels.

The long study includes the voices of 685 asylum seekers detained in 21 European countries and is the work of JRS along with 23 European partners. It highlights how asylum seekers and irregular migrants who are held in detention quickly become susceptible to hazardous psychological stress. The longer they are detained, the more vulnerable they become.

Asian migrant workers see exploitation in Sweden

Date: 08/09/2010 - 11:03

The image of migrant workers freezing, locking up their bosses and marching for better pay and conditions is not typically Swedish.

Yet these are among the catalog of incidents that have occurred among Asian workers spending the season picking wild berries in the forests of central and northern Sweden.

Roma expulsions challenge Europe's benevolent self-image

Date: 23/09/2010 - 14:13

It is arguably modern Europe's flagship ideal: the freedom to move across borders and seek a better life elsewhere.

But in the Europe of Nicolas Sarkozy, Silvio Berlusconi, and others, the privilege has its limits -- and its paradoxes. Effectively excluded, it seems, is the one group singly most identified with a nomadic and peripatetic existence: the continent's 10 million-strong Romany population.

Singapore: Films Show Other Side of Migrant Workers

Date: 21/09/2010 - 09:05

Migrant workers may be what one filmmaker calls a "socio-political hot potato" in Singapore, but that is precisely why a film festival opted to showcase the plight of workers who often remain faceless although they are vital to the city-state’s everyday life and economy.

Apart from challenges with assimilation, some 1.3 million migrant workers here are facing discrimination by Singaporeans who see the influx of foreigners as a threat to their own rice bowls.

Lebanon: Judiciary failing to protect domestic workers

Date: 21/09/2010 - 09:19

Lebanon's judiciary is generally failing to hold employers accountable when they violate the basic rights of migrant domestic workers, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should adopt a plan to ensure that these workers can rely on Lebanese courts to protect their rights, Human Rights Watch said.

Join hands to protect the human rights of all migrants

Date: 09/09/2010 - 09:52

All members of the Global Migration Group (GMG) have agreed to focus on the theme of the effective protection of the human rights of all migrants in the second half of this year, the period when the United Nations Human Rights office (OHCHR) chairs the inter-agency body on migration.

Roma : MEPs doubt legality of returns

Date: 03/09/2010 - 13:37

The legality of the French government's expulsion of Roma people has yet to be established, with regard both to EU law on free movement and temporary residence and to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Commission told Civil Liberties Committee MEPs in a debate on Thursday. The overall position of Roma people in Europe will be debated in plenary session on Tuesday 7 September in Strasbourg.

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

Financial support for operational costs and projects are occasionally provided by a range of funders.

December 18 is the International Resource Centre on the Human Rights of Migrants. Interested in becoming a volunteer, click here.