Social Platform's 47 pan-European social civil society organizations has developed a position paper on migration. It includes the human rights concerns of regular and irregular migrants, asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection. We provide recommendations to the EU and member states based on our areas of work: Rights, Inclusion, Employment, Services and Civil Dialogue.
We also have separate recommendations on the situation of intra-EU mobility for EU citizens, who may be at risk of/or ending up in destitution. EU-citizens exercising their right to free movement can experience similar problems as third country nationals, despite the different legal frameworks and protection systems applicable to them.
All the EU member states have signed most of the core international human rights instruments and are thus legally obliged to protect the rights of all individuals in their territories. While recognising that different laws and policies apply depending on one’s migration status, there is often a gap between law and its implementation and practice at national level. However, human rights should apply to all but several barriers remain. Some of our recommendations particularly relevant for the gender equality:
- Pay migrant women special attention in the current (2010-2015) and forthcoming (from 2015 on) EU Strategy on Equality between Women and Men and its action, measures and programme on ending Violence Against Women;
- Propose interpretative guidelines to the implementation of the Family Reunification Directive that enable dependent spouses and family members to work. Current prohibitions have led to poverty traps and the deskilling of primarily migrant women.
- Support member states to establish specialised services and shelters for survivors of violence against women and girls and gender based violence as a practical implementation measure of the Victim’s Directive and ensure that migrant women, who often face multiple forms of violence and discrimination, are guaranteed access irrespective of their residence status.
- Ensure access to shelters to all migrants, irrespective of their residence status, including shelters for homelessness and for survivors of violence against women and girls, and gender based violence.
On www.socialplatform.org/migration you can download the position paper as well as thematic fact sheets based on our paper:
Language(s)
English
Author
Responsible Policy Officer: Annica Ryngbeck
Publisher
Social Platform
Publication Date
June, 2013
