MRI/EB2008/02 - December 2008

Hundreds of migrants' groups and supporters are organizing events to promote respect for the dignity and human rights of all migrants on 18 December 2008, International Migrants' Day. Among the many activities scheduled to take place is the Migrants Rights International Global Day of Action on the Migrant Workers' Convention (MWC), organized to help promote the universal ratification of the MWC; December 18th's Radio 1812 program, through which radio programs around the world will broadcast information regarding migrants' rights; TakingITGlobal's online chat for youths regarding the significance of migration and development in the lives of young people. Over 150 events will take place on 18 December and surrounding dates, in at least 57 countries including Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kyrgystan, Mexico, Mali, Morocco, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, UK, and USA. The 18th of December is the date that the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (MWC), in 1990.

To view an interactive map of events across the world, see: http://www.radio1812.net/en/location/views

For more information about the Global Day of Action for the MWC, see: http://www.migrantwatch.org.

Rwanda Ratifies the Migrant Workers Convention

On 15 December 2008 has ratified the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (MWC). Rwanda is the 40th nation to ratify. The MWC, which is the principal United Nations human rights convention on the rights of migrant workers and their family members, has now been ratified by 40 of the 192 UN member countries.

UN General Assembly Adopts Optional Protocol to International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; Individual Complaints Mechanism to be Created

On 10 December 2008 the UN General Assembly adopted an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which, once it is ratified by 10 states, would enable individuals and groups of individuals to submit private petitions to the UN alleging violations of the rights protected in the Covenant. The ICESCR provides protections for rights including the right to housing, education, highest attainable standard of health, work and food. The adoption of the protocol followed decades of efforts from activists to address the historical imbalance of protection mechanisms available for economic, social and cultural rights, compared to civil and political rights. For more information, please see: http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/EDC883A6D1F4E834C125751B005BA7C3?OpenDocument

Euro-African Governmental Conference, Citizen Summit on Migration and Development Held in Paris

On 25 November 2008 more than 80 delegates from European and African governments met in Paris for the second Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development. The event resulted in the adoption of a multi-annual program of cooperation regarding "global approaches to legal migration, combating illegal migration, and synergies between migration and development policy." The aims of this conference differed from those of the Citizen Summit on Migration, which was held in October by civil society members from across the world. In the Citizen Summit, a joint document was adopted which urged governments from both Europe and Africa are urged to "promote a people-centered view of development," and to acknowledge migration as a "human phenomenon [which] constitutes an invaluable social, cultural and economic contribution" to societies.

- For more information on the governmental conference, please see:
http://www.ue2008.fr/PFUE/lang/en/accueil/PFUE-11_2008/PFUE-25.11.2008/conference_de_paris_sur_la_migration_et_le_developpement.

- To view the Bridges not Walls civil society recommendations, please visit:
http://www.despontspasdesmurs.org/spip.php?article83

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Africa

Thousands of Repatriated Mauritanian Refugees to Receive Identity Cards

The Mauritanian government has promised thousands of returning Mauritanian refugees that they will receive their identity cards by the end of 2008, after having waited for them for nearly a year. Most of the returnees left for countries such as Senegal or Mali during the massacres carried out by the Mauritanian government at the beginning of the 1990s, and are being temporarily housed in UN repatriation camps, where children have been unable to attend school and job opportunities are scarce or non-existent. Once the identity cards are issued, the repatriated families will be able to cross police checkpoints across the country and seek opportunities in areas away from the camps. For more information, please see: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81682 (27 November 2008)

Thousands of Families Displaced, Torn Apart by Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Since August 2008, thousands of families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been uprooted and torn apart due to an escalation in violence between Hutu militias, who had escaped to the DRC after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the Tutsi minority. At least 250,000 people, many of them children, have been displaced since the fighting began, and over 1,600 children have been separated from their parents. Several UN refugee camps have been installed throughout the country, and despite the presence of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), which is currently the largest peacekeeping force in the world, fighting between the two groups remains intense. For more information, please see: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/13/africa/AF-Congo-Children.php (13 November 2008)

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Americas

25 Africans Deported from Costa Rica; Officials Claim Trafficking Route from Africa to Europe to Latin America to US

During the year 2008, 25 Africans were detained by security officials in Costa Rica and deported from the country, allegedly because they were en route to the United States. Costa Rican authorities claim that these detentions were the result of the discovery of an alleged trafficking network in which African migrants relocate from Europe to the United States, using Latin America as a gateway.

For more information, please see:

- http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=79562 (11 December 2008)

- http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2008_12/1208082.htm (8 December 2008)

Steep Rise in Deportations of Undocumented Migrants in the U.S.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in a 12-month period that ended 30 September 2008, deported a record number of undocumented migrants. 349,041 individuals were forcibly removed from the U.S. throughout the year, which marks a dramatic increase from the 288,663 deportees in 2007 and the 116,460 removals in 2002. Although ICE claims that this policy reflects their "commitment to the American people to ... [secure the] borders and [strengthen the] nation's immigration system," critics state that "deportations through raids, arrests, and detentions" discriminately target migrant workers and tear apart their families. For more information, please see:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/760558.html (7 November 2008)

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Asia

Lay-offs among OFWs on the Rise due to Global Economic Crisis

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines, as of 5 December 2008, at least 1,423 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from countries across the world had been laid off from their jobs. However, DOLE officials claim that worker deployment remains strong, and that previous estimates that over half a million OFWs and their families could be displaced reflected a "worst case scenario" to help the government prepare for possible emergencies. Many NGO representatives fear that the situation could become far more dire than government officials are currently suggesting. According to Mayan Villalba of Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services, the displacement of OFWs has already affected many families throughout the country, and is a growing concern among workers and their family members. For more information, please see:

- http://balita.ph/2008/12/10/ofw-deployment-still-robust-amidst-financial-crisis-roque/ (10 December 2008)

- http://www.gmanews.tv/story/137780/1423-OFWs-in-four-countries-have-lost-jobs-due-to-economic-meltdown (5 December 2008)

Unemployed Internal Chinese Migrants Returning to Countryside from Cities as Economic Tensions Rise

Waves of unemployed migrant workers are returning to their homes in rural China, due to the closure of many of the country's financially strained factories. In response to these closures, there has been a series of strikes and protests by migrant workers across the country. Many of the returning migrants have little income with which to support their families, and very few of them received social security benefits or insurance for the work they had performed in the cities. Vast expanses of farmland have been destroyed during the nation's push for industrialization, and many workers have lost family land in the process. Government officials are debating methods by which unemployment funds, job training, and wage subsidies or grants for businesses could be used to increase job security and promote re-employment. For more information, please see:

- http://www.indianexpress.com/news/reverse-migration-could-shake-chinas-stabil.../393224/ (2 December 2008)

- http://www.chinastakes.com/story.aspx?id=873 (1 December 2008)

Malaysian Housewife Convicted of Abusing Domestic Worker

On 27 November 2008, Yim Pek Ha was sentenced to 18 years in jail for having "grievously hurt" her domestic helper Nirmala Bonat in 2004. According to Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court Judge Akhtar Tahir, who was responsible for Yim's conviction, the victim's employer had "committed sadistic behavior that cannot be tolerated in a civil society": she had pressed a hot iron on Bonat's back and breasts, and poured hot water on her legs as a punishment for not doing the chores properly. Yim, a former air stewardess and a mother of four children, continues to claim her innocence. Bonat has since returned to her home in Indonesia, where she affirms that she is still recovering emotionally from the "nightmarish" experience she had in Malaysia.

For more information, please see: http://pjfrenz.net/component/option,com_fireboard/func,view/id,7698/catid,65/ (27 November 2008)

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Europe

Hundreds of Racist and Anti-migrant Attacks in Russia against Central Asian Migrants

According to the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, 113 people were killed and 340 wounded in a total of 254 racist and anti-migrant attacks in Russia from January to October 2008. In a recent attack, a Tajik migrant worker was murdered on this way home from work; his body was found with stab wounds and his head was found in a dumpster on 10 December 2008. Members of an ultranationalist group called the Militant Organization of Russian Nationalists claimed responsibility for the crime, stating in an email to two human rights organizations that the killing was "a demonstration of their resolve to fight against the non-Russian occupation, and a warning to officials that the same will happen to them if they do not stop the flow of immigration." For more information, please see:

- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/15/russia (15 December 2008)

- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/world/europe/13russia.html?ref=world (12 December 2008)

EU Blue Card Proposal to Target Highly Skilled Workers Only

In November 2008, the European Parliament approved a "Blue Card" proposal to allow " highly-skilled immigrants" to join the European workforce. This proposal, which was approved by all EU countries except for the UK and Ireland, includes rigid restrictions on eligibility, including that candidates must have already received a job offer in the EU, and either have at least five years of work experience in that particular sector, or hold a "recognised" university degree. Critics say that the policy would further exclude low-wage workers from the benefits of legal migration, and that it reflects a "schizophrenic approach to migration" in which certain migrants are welcomed, and others are rejected and deported. For more information, please see: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90684.php (24 November 2008)

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Middle East

Migrant Workers in Iraq Protest Failure of Recruitment Company to Provide Promised Jobs

In early December, hundreds of migrant workers in Baghdad protested outside of their dilapidated living quarters, calling for aid from the United Nations and the U.S. military after the Kuwaiti company that had hired them failed to provide them with work contracts. The men, most of whom were from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, had each paid up to $3,000 to middlemen in order to secure their ability to work upon arrival. After three months in the country, no jobs had materialized and the workers had been left confined to "overcrowded warehouses" in unsanitary conditions. There have also been reports of abuse against the workers at the hands of Iraqi security guards, who responded with gunshots after violence broke out during a riot on 3 December. For more information, please see:

- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article5279431.ece (4 December 2008)

- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article5289022.ece (4 December 2008)

Saudi Ad Campaign Targets Abuse of Domestic Workers

MBC, a Saudi-owned television network, has begun to broadcast commercials regarding the need to end abuse against domestic workers. The ads, which were created by the Saudi company Full Stop Advertising, were first aired in mid November across the Middle East and North Africa, and have also appeared in newspapers in Saudi Arabia. Proponents of the ads consider them an important step in the promotion of protections for domestic workers in the region, to combat the alarming death rates, widespread abuse and inadequate wages affecting the workers. For more information, please see: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081119/NATIONAL/810541239/1011/ART (19 November 2008)

Smugglers Kill at Least 20 Refugees en Route to Yemen, Thousands Risk their Lives to Arrive

On 1 December 2008, smugglers forced 115 asylum seekers overboard in the Gulf of Aden, killing at least 20 people. This follows a November incident in which at least 40 others were forced overboard, also by smugglers. At least 380 people have been killed this year on their way from Africa to Yemen, and another 360 are feared dead. Yemen has an open door policy for refugees, and receives an average of 100 people per day who survive the dangerous journey through the Gulf of Aden. However, the Yemeni Interior Ministry announced suddenly in October that Ethiopians and Eritreans would be denied entry to the country, raising fears that the rights of asylum seekers from these countries would be violated. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international agencies have called for global action to address these issues and have opened reception centers for survivors.

For more information, please see:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/02/human-trafficking-yemen-smuggling (2 December 2008)

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE49K0GU.html (21 October 2008)

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Oceania

Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre Criticized by Human Rights Commissioner, Amnesty International

The Christmas Island Detention Centre, located off the shores of Australia, has been criticized by Amnesty International and other groups for its "prison-like character," isolated location, and over-use of funds which could be used to promote alternative options for asylum seekers. According to

Australian Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes, the new facility is a "completely inappropriate way for [the country to meet its international obligations toward] the men, women and even unaccompanied children who are seeking [its] protection." Increasing numbers of people are fleeing by boat to Australia, and the centre is due to be put in use "when numbers require it." For more information, please see:

- http://www.churcheswa.com.au/2008/12/new-christmas-island-immigration-detention-centre-should-not-be-used/
(9 December 2008)

- http://www.safecom.org.au/xmas2008visit.htm (August 2008)

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II. EVENTS

International Migrants' Day Worldwide Events, 18 December 2008

Hundreds of organizations and individuals from across the globe will celebrate International Migrant's Day, December 18, with activities in recognition of the human rights and dignity of all migrants.

To view an interactive map of events for International Migrants' Day, please see:
http://www.radio1812.net/en/location/views.

For MRI Global Day of Action on Migrant Workers Convention, visit: http://www.migrantwatch.org.

Workshop: "Environmental Change and Migration: Evidence and Developing Norms for Response," 8-9 January 2009, Oxford, UK

This workshop will provide a space for "academics, activists, policy makers and development practitioners to share research, experience and analysis on the subject [of] 'environmentally-induced' migrations." For more information, please see:
http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/index.html?conf_conferences

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III. ANNOUNCEMENTS

Call for Submissions, Sur Journal issue on Human Rights of People on the Move: Migrants and Refugees

The Human Rights University Network - Sur and the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) invite all interested individuals to send contributions for this special issue of the Sur Journal. The Journal aims at disseminating a Global Southern perspective on human rights and to facilitate exchange among professors and activists from the Global South, without disregarding contributions from other regions. Submissions are accepted in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The deadline is 30 January 2009. For more information, please see: http://www.surjournal.org/eng/call8.php

New Masters Degree in Migration, Mobility and Development at the University of London

Beginning in September 2009, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London will offer a new Masters of Science (MSc) in Migration, Mobility and Development. Applications are currently being accepted. For more information, please visit http://www.soas.ac.uk/programmes/prog47390.php .

Call for Proposals: Conference on "Migrating Music: Media, Politics and Style"

Paper and panel proposals are currently needed regarding the role of media, politics, and style in the global music diaspora. The conference will be held from 10-11 July 2009 at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. Closing date for submissions is 22 February 2009. For more information, please see:
http://dev.ultravone.com/iaspm/_mgxroot/page_10682.html .

Call for Photos and Volunteer Translators, www.domesticworkerrights.org

Domesticworkerrights.org, a website devoted to increasing the visibility of domestic/household workers and their organisations, is currently seeking photos or other media presentations of events, and of actual domestic work in households. Also, French-Spanish-English volunteer translators are being sought to translate short documents submitted by organisations and trade unions of domestic workers. Please visit the website at http://www.domesticworkerrights.org, and contact Anneke van Luijken at Anneke.vanLuijken@iuf.org for more information on how to contribute.

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IV. NEW PUBLICATIONS AND FILMS

§ ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Task Force on AIDS (ATFOA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Regional Task Force on HIV and Mobility (UNRTF). HIV/AIDS and Mobility in Southeast Asia: The Rapid Assessment, 14 November 2008. Assesses the health services provided by ASEAN countries to HIV/AIDS victims, highlighting the need to ensure adequate outreach to migrants. Describes the benefits of multi-country HIV and mobility programs implemented by certain organizations in Southeast Asia. Please see:

http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf/dx/14112008094037AMAABK8G.htm (English)

§ Human Rights Watch. Returns at Any Cost: Spain's Push to Repatriate Unaccompanied Children in the Absence of Safeguards, 17 October 2008. Documents Spain's failure to provide children with independent legal representation during repatriation procedures, which has led to the repeated deportation of unaccompanied migrant and refugee children to countries where there lives are at risk. See: http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/10/17/returns-any-cost-0 (Available in English, Spanish, and French)

§ UNHCR Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES). Evaluation of UNHCR's efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in situations of forced displacement, 1 October 2008. Outlines advancements, recommendations, and challenges related to the UNHCR's global efforts regarding this theme. See:
http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=26663 (Available in English)

§ Documentary film: Medecins sans frontières. Condition: Critical, Voices from the War in Eastern Congo, November 2008.

Documents the effects of the violence that has been taking place in the Congo for the past 15 years, which has escalated in recent months and is resulting in the death, displacement, and suffering of thousands of individuals. See:
http://www.condition-critical.org/ (Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Dutch)

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V. OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS

Ekine, Sokari. "African Migration Management," 16 October 2008.

Observations regarding EU migration management system, including fears that the new "Immigration Control Centres" will fail to fulfill the needs of African migrant workers and deportees. Please see:
http://blog.newint.org/majority/2008/10/16/african-migration-management/

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VI. TAKE ACTION!

Celebrate International Migrants' Day! 18 December 2008

There are over 150 events in 57 countries being organized to celebrate International Migrants' Day 2008. Join an event in your community to recognize the contributions of migrants and call for justice and human rights for all.

Some activities you can participate in:

§ Global Day of Action for the Migrant Workers' Convention, 18 December 2008. Migrants Rights International and partners invite you to participate in the Global Day of Action for the Migrant Workers' Convention (MWC) on 18 December 2008, as part of the Campaign for the Universal Ratification of the Migrant Workers' Convention. See http://www.migrantwatch.org or contact campaigns.mri@gmail.com.

§ December 18 "International Migrants' Day" Radio Programs. Radio programs will be broadcast in over 40 countries in celebration of International Migrants' Day, as part of the December 18 Radio 1812 program. See: http://www.radio1812.net for more information.

§ See http://www.radio1812.net/en/location/views for a full list of activities and campaigns that you can join.

Campaign for Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR

The International NGO Coalition for an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is currently leading a campaign to push for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Civil Rights (ICESCR), which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 2008. Despite its adoption, the protocol will not take effect until it has been ratified by 10 countries, and it will only be applicable in nations which have ratified it. For more information on this campaign, and for instructions on how to join, please see:
http://www.opicescr-coalition.org/

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Migrants Rights International E-Bulletin, MRI/EB2008/02, 18 December 2008 ENGLISH

Editor: Angela Sarakan, Communications Fellow, Migrants Rights International, communications.mri@gmail.com

* MRI would like to acknowledge Pablo Ceriani (CELS, Argentina), Michael Boampong (Young People We Care, Ghana), and December 18 (Brussels) for submitting information for this issue.

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*******************

Angela Sarakan

Communications Fellow, MRI

communcations.mri@gmail.com

Migrants Rights International - International Secretariat

migrantsrightsinternational@gmail.com

(+41) 22.788.2873

www.migrantwatch.org

MRI est une fédération des groupes d'Afrique, d'Asie, d'Amériques et d'Europe qui defendre les droits de l'homme des migrants.
MRI is a federation uniting groups from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to defend migrants' human rights.
MRI es una federación de grupos de Africa, Asia, Europa y las Américas que defienden los derechos humanos de los y las migrantes.

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