Busting Migration Myths by Chiqui Garcia

Busting Migration Myths

Myth 1: Irregular Migration is a growing problem that requires more border security Myth 2: Migrants are only after our social security Myth 3: Migrants are stealing our jobs Myth 4: Most migrants are refugees and asylum seekers Myth 5: Money sent home by migrants helps development Myth 6: It is only called racism by those who fail to see the real problem Myth 7: As soon as migrants arrive, they send for their families to join them

Introduction

“We need more border security to combat irregular migration”, “migrants are only after our social security”, “migrants are stealing our jobs”. While their basis in fact is tiny, these “migration myths” are commonly heard all over Europe. These myths are misleading the general public and making migrants into scapegoats of broader social and economic issues that Europe is facing. In addition, in times of European crisis, these myths are helping to contribute to the rise of xenophobic populist movements that are gaining influence in many EU Member States. Many migrants working in Europe are already facing precarious working and living conditions with daily violations of their human and labour rights. European migration policy needs to be re-evaluated to include the reasons why migrants are leaving their homes (lack of decent work, unemployment and poverty) so that Europe can develop a truly rights-based approach to migration. A crucial step in this exercise is busting these common “migration myths”. Migrants rights are human rights!

Conny Reuter SOLIDAR Secretary General

1 Irregular Migration is a growing problem that requires more border security 1

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/ LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0743:FIN: EN:PDF

Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/ statistics_explained/index.php/Migration_ and_migrant_population_statistics (Figure 5)

As reported by the UNHCR in 2012 http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a1d406060.html

Resource: Briefing: A Rights-Based Approach to Migration and Development: SOLIDAR Reaction to EC Migration Policy Package http://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/40_migrationpolic ypack.pdf

Context

The fight against irregular migration continues to be a top priority for the European Union. This is highlighted by the emphasis on irregular migration in the European Commission’s latest Communication on external migration policy: the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM)1 released in 2011. In addition, following the increase in irregular migration to the EU from North Africa in 2011, the competencies of the EU’s border agency FRONTEX whose budget has been increased by €80 million since 2005 - were further expanded, now including cooperation with national border security services in countries of origin amongst others. Further, plans were developed to introduce enhanced border surveillance or “smart borders” which just shows that the EU views irregular migration as a serious issue and threat.

Increased border security is not a sustainable/rights-based solution to irregular migration According to Eurostat2, the EU hosts around 32 million migrants (36.5% from other European countries, 25% from Africa, 20% from Asia, 16.5% from the Americas and 1% from Oceania)3. Of these, it is estimated that a mere 6-15% are irregular migrants. Compared with an overall EU population of over 500 million, we can see that irregular migrants actually make up a very small amount of overall migration.

Civil society organisations cooperating with SOLIDAR members in Tunisia have also reported that of the 28,000 Tunisians that migrated to Europe in 2011 (included in the 55,000 above), over 2,500 remain unaccounted for. Human trafficking is a serious and growing problem. And while the EU has vowed to address this issue, it is clear that increased border security and migrant safety may be difficult to combine.

It is interesting to look at the case of the EU’s reaction to the arrival of roughly 55,000 irregular migrants4 to Europe from North Africa in 2011 – for information, this makes up 0.0001% of the European population. It is especially interesting to look at the risks that these migrants have to take to make their trip. For instance, of the roughly 55,000 people who attempted to cross into the EU, the UN’s High Commission on Refugees reported that at least 1,500 either drowned or disappeared.

Indeed, it is unlikely that increased border security will dissuade migrants from migrating, while it will definitely increase the risks of their journey and the clandestine networks they may have to resort to. Rather it is essential that the root causes of migration, notably the lack of decent work, unemployment and poverty in people’s home countries are coherently addressed.

2 Migrants are only after our social security Context It is often believed that most migrants migrate to the EU in order to benefit from social welfare payments while not actually being willing to work.

Most migrants do not have access to social security and protection Most migrants do not have any access to social security at all. Many – in particular irregular – migrants work in precarious conditions. This is especially true in the domestic work sector. Domestic work – providing care to families and households – is an important occupation and source of revenue for millions of people. Around the world, millions of domestic workers clean, cook, look after children and elderly people and do other tasks for private households5. In industrialised countries, domestic work accounts for between 5-9 % of all employment. A majority of domestic workers are women and migrant workers with an irregular status, being forced to live in their employer’s household and being very vulnerable to exploitation. In Europe, demographic factors (i.e. growing number of older people) and changing patterns of employment (i.e. more women working outside the household) have resulted in a growing demand for domestic work and in particular, domestic full time care in the home6. With their services, these workers – often invisible as their work place is a private household – provide a considerable contribution to European wealth and well-being.

So migrants are actually contributing to the maintenance of “our” social system. The right to healthcare as a basic social right is stipulated in Article 12 of the United International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR). While all 27 EU Member have ratified the Covenant, according to the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), European human rights standards allow for a distinction of access to health care between regular and irregular migrants7. In a 2011 survey in 10 EU Member States by FRA, irregular migrants often only have access to basic health services, even though they are often exposed to “health threatening working conditions”8. Some EU Member states surveyed do not provide healthcare beyond emergency care, or if further care is provided, it either has to be reported to the authorities by the care provider or proof of residence has to be produced. The European Commission should address this fundamental rights issue rather than keeping the focus on the distinction between regular and irregular migrants.

ILO, Domestic Work, Policy Brief, n. 4

SOLIDAR, 2011, Domestic Workers: From Modern Day Slavery to Equal Rights, p.12

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2011) “Migrants in an irregular situation: access to healthcare in 10 European Union Member States, p.12

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights “Migrants in an irregular situation: access to healthcare in 10 European Union Member States” (2011), p.1 Resources: Briefing: Migrant Domestic Workers: From Modern-Day Slavery to Equal Rights http://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/7_report_rt_domm igworkers_4may_2011.pdf Film: Through the Eyes of Migrants: Filipino Domestic Workers in Italy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB0BWYW qy3E&feature=player_embedded

3 Migrants are stealing our jobs

Eurostat, Unemployment Statistics 2012 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_ explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics

European Commission, Second Biennial Report on Social Services of General Interest, pp. 17-22 Resources: Briefing: Migrant Domestic Workers: From Modern-Day Slavery to Equal Rights http://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/7_report_rt_dommig workers_4may_2011.pdf Film: Through the Eyes of Migrants: Filipino Domestic Workers in Italy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB0BWYWqy 3E&feature=player_embedded

Context The crisis continues to impact on European economies with EU unemployment rates running at an average of 11%, and as high as 25% in Spain and 22% in Greece9. In this situation, there is a growing perception that Europe cannot sustain further immigration and that low skilled migrants in particular should be sent back to their countries of origin.

Europe needs more migrants Due to demographic change, the EU will need increased immigration in the medium and long-term. Predictions indicate that there will be shortages of labour in several sectors including the health and care sectors. In the EU 27, between 2008 and 2060, the population aged over 65 will increase by 79%, while the population aged over 80 is expected to increase by 181%.

The ageing of the population will increase the demand for long-term care services, while the availability of informal and family carers will diminish due to changes in family structures and in European societies (increase of single-person households, growing participation of women in the labour market, increased workforce mobility and ageing of the population)10. This dilemma also extends to other sectors like agriculture, tourism and horticulture. As such, many employers report that they have trouble to fill vacant positions for seasonal work as the interest in this work sector remains low. While the current EU discussion is therefore focused on attracting greater numbers of healthcare professionals from non-EU countries, the example of domestic workers (see Myth 2) shows that this gap is increasingly closed at the expense of migrantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights. We therefore need increased migration to sustain the European Social Model.

4 Most migrants are refugees and asylum seekers

Context It is often perceived that the majority of migrants consist of refugees and asylum seekers. Furthermore, it is often argued that a more open migration policy is prevented by the lack of common ground in policy position as well as legislation between EU Member States.

The majority of migrants are forced to leave their homes to look for work Poverty and the lack of decent work are in fact the major driving forces behind international migration, particularly in the developing world. In fact, 90% of total international migrants, estimated by the International Labour Organisation at 214 million in 2010, are migrant workers and their families. The majority of these are low skilled, seeking a more prosperous life11. Decent work sums up the aspirations of all people in their working lives – for opportunity and decent income; labour rights, voice and recognition; and personal development; as well as non-discrimination including gender equality. A recurring statement by migrants interviewed12 was that given the choice, they would stay in their home countries if they could earn enough to live on and support their families. As labour migration is a prevalent form of migration and many migrants work in precarious conditions, international labour standards have a crucial role in protecting migrant rights. A wide range of universal

standards protecting all workers’ rights have been developed, including some that specifically address the needs of migrant workers. At the international level, the rights of migrant workers are protected notably by promoting the ratification and implementation of the principal international conventions protecting migrant workers’ rights, namely the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families (ICRMW), the ILO Convention 97 on Migration for Employment and ILO Convention 143 (supplementary provisions) on Migrant Workers13. None of the EU Member States has yet ratified the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families, while only eight (Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom) have ratified the ILO Convention 97 and only five (Cyprus, Sweden, Italy, Slovenia and Portugal) ratified the ILO Convention 143 to date14. An increased coherence of the EU’s approach to migration policy work remains essential.

ILO Decent Work Agenda http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/ ---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/ publication/wcms_125362.pdf

SOLIDAR (2011): International Migration – The Search for decent work, p.4 http://cms.horus.be/files/99931/ MediaArchive/Migration_report_web.pdf

Concord (2011), Spotlight on EU Policy Coherence for Development, pp.58-59 SOLIDAR (2011): International Migration – The Search for decent work, p.14 http://cms.horus.be/files/99931/ MediaArchive/Migration_report_web.pdf

SOLIDAR (2011): International Migration – The Search for decent work, p.14 http://cms.horus.be/files/99931/ MediaArchive/Migration_report_web.pdf

Resource: Case study - Through the Eyes of Migrants: the Search for Decent Work

€

€ €

€

5 Money sent home by migrants helps development

Remittances are no substitute for a sustainable approach to migration and development

Context A prevalent discussion in the context of southsouth and south-north labour migration – and highly prioritised in recent EU Communications on migration15 – is the role of remittances, that is funds sent by migrant workers to their dependents in their country of origin. Remittances sent home by migrants is considerably larger than Official Development Assistance (ODA) and according to the World Bank figures is the second largest source of income for developing countries after Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)16. They can contribute significantly to poverty reduction and shelter households at times of political or economic crisis. The Asian Development Bank estimates that, in 2006, remittances kept 4.3 million people out of poverty in the Philippines. They can also help stimulate the local economy through increased consumption and even help create employment17.

Global remittances are projected by the World Bank to amount to € 267.5 billion in 2011 and to increase to € 333.5 billion in 2014. By comparison, EU Overseas Development Aid is € 53.1 billion. These remittances sent to developing countries are, however, out of necessity, often mostly spent on daily consumption. In addition, they are very volatile and have been strongly affected by the global economic crisis, falling by 5.8% in 2009. In addition, the increased volume of remittances to developing countries has not kept pace with local inflation and with the ongoing current crisis. In addition, remittances may even often boost inflation in receiving societies as well as most importantly, dissuading governments in developing countries from promoting firm provisions for welfare and social protection systems. These remittances come at a high price. Migrants face a very uncertain future in their country of destination. In addition, migrants often work in precarious conditions being socially excluded and dependent on their employer in a “grey legal area” with no protection against mistreatment, as witnessed in the domestic work sector.

“Improving EU support to developing countries in mobilising Financing for Development” of July 2012 and EC COM 2011 (743), p. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri= COM:2011:0743:FIN:EN:PDF

World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief 12 (April 23, 2010): Outlook for Remittance Flows 2010-11 http://go.worldbank.org/SSW3DDNLQ0

“Migrant Workers’ Remittances: A Development Instrument in Question” European Social Watch Report 2009 Resource: Briefing: No magic wand: co-development as an integration tool http://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/codevelopment_ en_final_version.pdf

6 It is only called racism by those who fail to see the real problem Context Per Wirten “The New Racism“ in Europe on the borderline, Fresh Thinking No2, 2011, p.11

Resource: International Migration: The Search for Decent Work http://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/migration_ report_web.pdf

Populist and extremist political parties are gaining increased support and are currently represented in the parliaments of 16 EU Member States. Part of their success is their strategy to link migrants to general growing socio-economic problems.

Migrants cannot be blamed for the growing social problems in the EU Swedish journalist Per Wirten observes a “New Racism” on the rise in Europe. One cause for this rise of influence is a change of rhetoric and tactics of the far rights described by Virten18 as “nationalist groups exploiting fear and hiding behind liberal values to deliver a modern version of old hatred”. This “New Racism” combines rhetoric of decreasing social rights, growing poverty and ideas of liberalism with a hostility to multiculturalism and migration as well as calling for a restriction of social welfare to native born persons. This is exemplified by the Dutch Freedom Party’s website where people can report if they think they lost a jobs to a migrant as well as problems allegedly caused by migrants including crime, alcoholism, drugs use, dumping household waste and prostitution.

This â&#x20AC;&#x153;taking care of our own firstâ&#x20AC;? rhetoric is spreading supported by many of the migration myths previously discussed. We are currently witnessing a growing mainstreaming of antiimmigration policies with more moderate forces and political parties increasingly employing a rhetoric of scepticism towards migration. Migrantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights are human rights. Furthermore, migration is a solution not a cause of the growing social problems in Europe. Thus, promoting racism and xenophobia under the guise of aiming to protect the social rights of the native born population distracts from crucial facts.

Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 7 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights stipulate the fundamental right for family reunification.

Article 4(1) European Directive on Family Reunification of 2003 recognises the right to family reunification of “core family members (spouse and minor children)” and sets the right minimum standards by guaranteeing the effective right to family life and family reunification for all migrants and beneficiaries of international protection.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/ LexUriServ.do?uri= COM:2008:0610:FIN:EN:PDF

Observed in a 2011 Report of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (SOLIDARITY Fundamental rights of migrants in an irregular situation in the European Union, Fundamental Rights Agency, 2011, pp.-100-102) and a joint statement of SOLIDAR and 74 other European NGOs in May 2012 http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/ FRA_2011_Migrants_in_an_irregular_ situation_EN.pdf Family Reunification – 75 NGOs Statement, 31 May 2012 http://www.ecre.org/component/content/ article/56-ecre-actions/289-more-than-70ngos-have-called-on-the-member-states-and -the-european-commission-to-safeguardthe-family-life-of-migrants-and-refugees.html

7 As soon as migrants arrive, they send for their families to join them

Context A common misconception is that migrants aim to establish residence in Europe and then subsequently bring their family over. This is seen as a way to maximise the use of the social welfare system to the migrant’s advantage.

Family reunification is a fundamental right Even though the right to family reunification is a human right as recognised in multiple international standards19 and a European Directive20, a 2008 evaluation report of European Commission observed that deficiencies exist in the implementation of the EU Directive by EU Member States21. What is more, several obstacles persist22 to family reunification, for instance, resource and housing requirements, high fees and complicated documentation requirements as well as long waiting periods. Furthermore, the age of over eighteen years of age to be eligible for family reunification undermines the right of access for children. A true rights-based approach to migration must ensure the right to family reunification in line with human rights instruments.

About the project

“Decent Work for All! Making Migration work for Development” is a three-year project (2010-2013) which aims to raise awareness among European citizens and policy-makers about the links between development, migration and decent work; as well as the need to guarantee equal basic rights for all workers in the EU, irrespective of their origin or legal status. SOLIDAR is carrying out this project with seven member organisations: ADO SAH ROM (Romania), Czech Council on Foreign Relations (Czech Republic), ISCOD (Spain), ISCOS (Italy), Solidarité Laïque (France), Pour la Solidarité (Belgium) and Progetto Sviluppo (Italy).

Find out more on www.solidar.org

Author: Michael Oberreuter Responsible Editor: Conny Reuter Project Coordinator: Michael Oberreuter Publication Coordination: Abigail Goundry

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of SOLIDAR and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

ÂŠ SOLIDAR September 2012

decent work decent life