Greek migrant policy sparks controversy

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The increasing number of illegal migrants that apply for an assylum and are obliged to live for years waiting for a decision under humiliating conditions is a raising social problem in Greece. Migrants that desire their case to be examined and to leave for another country find themselves waiting for an answer living under conditions that violate their human rights. Greece is used for years as a buffer zone for the immigration flow in Europe reaching today at a point that the number of migrants and the growth of the problem have increased dramatically causing social disputes.

Biometrics, Migrants, and Human Rights

http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=289

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The use of biometric technology in order to make accurate identity checks as a way of control of borders to prevent terrorist attacks and illegal migration becomes more and more frequent in recent years. However, security does not always coincide with human rights. There is great discussion as far as the violation of human rights by these new technologies is concerned and the legitimacy of biometrics to collect such information. In addition, it is quentionable the effectiveness of these new technologies as illegal migrants tend to live in an illegal framework without official papers anyway and so they are difficult to be controlled.

Commissioner in action for human rights

The clip shows how the Office of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights works. Through interviews with the first two Commissioners, Alvaro Gil-Robles and Thomas Hammarberg, and images filmed during country visits, the clip highlights the main human rights concerns in Europe, including: discrimination, racism, migration, internally displaced persons, refugees, asylum-seekers, minorities, the conditions in prisons and the fight against terrorism.
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent, non-judicial institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote awareness of, and respect for, human rights in the 47 member states of the Organisation. Elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the present Commissioner, Mr Thomas Hammarberg, took up his function on 1 April 2006.

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The European Convention on the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was adopted in 1950 and was put into force in 1953 from the Council of Europe. It concerns basically individual and political rights, as the protection of economical and social rights is held by the European Social Charter which was signed in 1961 in the framework of the Council of Europe. Although the Convention doesn't explicitly make reference to migrants it clarifies that it refers to all humans and since 1953 it is the legal framework of Europe related to human rights, including migrants.

The Economist reports on how immigrants help both the countries they leave and those to which they move. Added to www.audiovideo.economist.com in October 2009

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Although this video is not very relevant with human rights and migration, I think it is quite interesting and gives a different aspect of the issue of migration and its implications at an international level. Apart from its social side migration has also an important economic impact on the countries and on societies, as the main reason for migration nowadays is financial, especially in Europe and North America.

Migrants’ human rights ‘violated’ at reception centers

Posted by clandestinenglish on 7 April 2011

Ombudsman says that authorities have not made use of EU funds
The Ombudsman has asked to meet with government and police officials to discuss the conditions that undocumented migrants are being kept in northeastern Greece after describing their plight as a “humanitarian crisis”.
Representatives from the citizens’ watchdog and Greece’s National Committee for Human Rights recently conducted visits to the reception centers in Evros and Rodopi and has demanded that authorities take immediate action to improve conditions.
“The seriousness of the situation requires an equivalent response,” the Ombudsman said in its report. “There is an issue of fundamental human rights being violated and this is mainly down to the abhorrent detention conditions, the lack of police personnel and the failure to promptly take measures that have been approved and funded by the European Union.”
The Ombudsman and the human rights committee said they would be sending their proposals to the government.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_05/04/2011_386470

http://clandestinenglish.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/migrants-human-rights-violated-at-reception-centers/

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Undocumented migrants have also certain rights as far as the conditions that they are being kept are concerned in order their applications for asylum to be examined. The violation of these rights in Greece has been an important issue lately, as these migrants are being kept in conditions that not only the international recognized rights of migrants, but also the fundamental human rights are violated. It is important to point out that undocumented migrants are not criminals, but people that their cases and rights are recognized by the international law and that they should be treated so.

In a historic joint statement, 12 UN agencies, the International Organisation for Migration and the World Bank - the Global Migration Group, has called for the protection of human rights of irregular migrants worldwide.
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This statement is important as the issue of violation of human rights of illegal migrants becomes more and more significant and the recognition of such violations is crucial in order to promote their protection. 
Illegal immigration to other countries may be caused by several factors as in the case of wars. People migrate to other countries in fear of these wars. Other factors might include persecution whereby people illegally immigrate to the other countries in fear of being persecuted in their own country and a good example is in the case with the religious leaders. Another factor which might lead to illegal immigration is the case with poverty. Most people usually migrate to the other countries in search for higher wages. A good example is in the case with people from the developing countries. In particular, most of these immigrants usually move to the developed countries say the United States in search of well paid jobs, and improved standards of living which could not be achieved in their home country.
However, the fact that these migrants are illegal does not mean that they don't have rights that should be respected and protected. In most cases, such as Greece, illegal migrants are being kept under humiliating conditions and in the majority of the cases their right to ask for an asylum has been put on hold for months or even years, despite the fact that international law protects their rights.

20th Anniversary Ratification Campaign

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, a global campaign has been launched calling on governments to act immediately to end widespread human rights violations, suffered daily by migrants around the world, by ratifying this Convention.

Since its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1990, the Convention has been ratified by 44 states and signed by a further 15 states. The Convention recognises the specific vulnerabilities of migrant workers and promotes humane and lawful working and living conditions. It provides guidance on the elaboration of national migration policies based on respect for human rights and the rule of law. It sets out provisions to combat abuse and exploitation of migrant workers and members of their families throughout the migration process.

We urge all governments to seize the occasion of the 20th anniversary to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and thereby affirm their commitment to protect the human rights of migrant workers. We hope that on 18 December 2010, we can also celebrate the ratification of the Convention by many states.

Migrants' Human Rights: From the Margins to the Mainstream

http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=291

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In my research about the Migrants' Human Rights in the international law I found this interesting article about how the issue of migrants is connected with this of human rights. Something very interesting is that although being a very important issue there is no an explicit convention that refers to the protection of their human rights in international law. Another point is that human rights and migration are two subjects which are interconnected in several levels, despite the lack in international law. Nevertheless, migration is a global issue that even though it isn't protected by one and specific act of international law, it is mentioned in several human rights treaties in directly, such as the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention concerning Migrations in Abusive Conditions and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity and Treatment of Migrant Workers (No. 143), the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention concerning Migration for Employment (No. 97), the UN Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees and the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. 

Clandestine

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Endlish subtitles
Alone I go with my sorrow, Alone goes my sentence, To run is my destiny, To escape the law, Lost in the heart of the great Babylon, They call me clandestine For not having any papers

To a city of the north I went to work, I left my life Between Ceuta and Gibraltar, I’m a line in the sea, A ghost in the city, My life is forbidden, So says the authority

Alone I go with my sorrow, Alone goes my sentence, To run is my destiny, For having no papers, Lost in the heart Of the great Babylon, They call me clandestine, I’m the lawbreaker, Mano negra clandestine, Peruan clandestine, African clandestine, Marihuana illegal

Alone I go with my sorrow, Alone goes my sentence, To run is my destiny, To escape the law, Lost in the heart of the great Babylon, They call me clandestine For not having any papers 

I chose to post this song, because I think that describes well the feelings of an illegal migrant who feels alone trying to survive from one place to another escaping the law. Illegal migration can take many forms, the most common of which are the following:

1. Undocumented/unauthorized entrants.

These are nationals of one state who enter another state clandestinely. Most such entrants cross land borders, but sea routes are also a regular way and wherever the conditions permit it so are air routes.

2. Individuals who are inspected upon entry into another state, but gain admission by using fraudulent documents.

The fraud can be related to the person's identity and/or the documentation that uses to ester the country. Such cases often concern asylum claims as well.

3. Violators of the duration of a visa.

These include nationals of one state who enter another state properly but stay longer than their period of legal stay on purpose illegally.

4. Violators of the terms and conditions of a visa.

These cases concern nationals of one state who enter another state with the proper documents and procedures, but at some point violate the terms of their visa. The most frequent such violation is the acceptance of employment.

France: Senate Should Revise Immigration Bill

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/07/france-senate-should-revise-immigration-bill

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The bill that the National Assembly approved in October 2010 contains measures that target Roma and that have been considered incompatible with both the EU law and the international human rights norms. Therefore it has been asked to the French government to change it. Some of the important articles that we should focus our attention are that it expands the cases that the government could hold people in the transit zones reducing their rights and making them vulnerable to quick deportation. This fact effectively violates the right of these people to asylum as they can be deported in a country where their life is in danger without firstly the National Court of Asylum reaches to a decision. The change that has been asked to the French Senate includes also the above mentioned safeguard. The bill would also allow the government to detain foreign terrorism suspects for up to 19 months, even though they have claimed that they would be at risk of torture or ill-treatment if returned to their country of origin. This measure is considered a clear violation of the right of liberty though, according to Human Rights Watch. The French government in its effort to take measures in order to control migration in the country proceeded in violations of basic human rights concerning migration that are both against the European Convention of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers’ Rights and therefore it should proceed to the change of the bill as the European and International law is above the national in such cases.