Social Platform takes a firm stand for migrants human rights

On June 13 Social Platform's Steering Group adopted a position paper on migration supported by 47 pan-European networks of social NGOs. Our position 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:

  •     Practical, administrative and legal obstacles combined with exclusionary practices often prevent migrants, in particular undocumented migrants, from accessing essential basic services such as health care – which is likely to further increase the number of migrants living in poverty and extreme poverty.
  •     Migrants’ labour market potential is hindered because many fall into undeclared and irregular work with precarious working conditions and are as such also not acquiring social security rights or building up a pension.
  •     Participation in public and political life is an important element to integration. Migrant associations and civil society organisations, including migrant women’s organisations, have a key role to play in contributing to the European migration and integration policy debate.
  •     There is a small but significant proportion of EU citizens for whom moving to another member state has become a poverty trap. They are destitute and face difficulties in accessing the right support. Their vulnerable situation is closely linked to EU policies and legislation in the area of free movement of citizens as well as internal migration law and its interpretation at national level. Roma in particular find integration into other member states incredibly difficult and are frequently denied the basic rights which they want to secure.

At the end of September Social Platform will meet with Ms Malmström, Commissioner for Home Affairs to present our recommendations and concerns.

Here you can download (PDF) the full position paper as well as thematic fact sheets based on our paper:

Fact Sheets on:

 

For more information please contact Annica Ryngbeck – annica.ryngbeck@socialplatform.org (Policy Officer, Social Platform).