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Migration has increasingly
become a global phenomenon. Although positively impacting the economic
growth of developing nations, the effects of migration can have
far reaching and devastating implications on the social fabric of
societies. People migrate in search of employment, new life opportunities,
to escape political oppression or natural disasters or when their
human and civil rights are violated, among other reasons.
On the one hand migration
has become an agent of development indirectly contributing to global
peace and security by providing opportunities to countries that
receive remittances, impacting the incomes of the poor, influencing
health outcomes, channelling new knowledge and augmenting the diversification
of skills of migrants.
On the other hand, migration
has posed challenges by negatively impacting the human capacity,
thus, the efficient delivery of services, making the recipient countries
dependant on volatile and non-institutionalized growth that could
be short lived, as well as distorting behaviours. Finally, the greatest
challenge for all sides remains to be poorly managed migration that
ends up severely impairing the lives of millions of people who dream
of a better quality of life.
There is growing evidence
that more than half of all migrants are women. However, the specific
needs of women have not been taken into account in public debates
and in the development of migration policies. Female migrants have
to deal with the dual discrimination of being women and migrants.
Those women who are in low-skilled jobs or are working illegally
in the countries of destination, especially in unregulated sectors
such as domestic employment, are at a greater risk to suffer from
violence, poor working conditions, long working hours, sexual exploitation
and poor reproductive health.
When men migrate, women
are left behind with the double burden of being the primary care
givers in the family and work. Therefore women led households are
on the rise and thus have become a vulnerable segment of society.
When women migrate, they have to come to terms with the burden of
leaving behind their children, their families and communities. Reintegration
therefore becomes an even more crippling problem, especially taking
into consideration the cultural and traditional customs of the countries
in the region. It is imperative to stress however that the phenomenon
of migration is not only felt in this region, but throughout the
world.
Among its responsibilities,
the global community must begin addressing the reasons why women
migrate in the first place. The obvious causes are lack of opportunities
and discrimination in their countries of origin.
The very real contribution
that women migrants make to their home countries in the way of financial
remittances has largely been overlooked. They contribute to the
improvement in the quality of life, by raising the standards of
living, providing access to healthcare and education for their families.
Studies have shown that
when women are able to control the use of their remittances, they
spend more on their children. They send a higher portion of their
earnings back home compared to male migrants. However, due to discrimination
and lack of access to credit and banking services their ability
to make financial decisions is severely limited.
Migration splits families,
puts women at greater risk and restrictive migration policies of
destination countries compels migrants to opt for alternatives outside
the rule of law. Illegal migration therefore has become a huge challenge
for many countries. Specific measures must be applied to struggle
against this phenomenon. It is essential for origin countries to
conduct a broad public awareness campaign to provide information
concerning rules of entry, residence and employment in destination
countries. Also, countries of origin can begin providing alternatives
to migration by addressing gender discrimination and providing opportunities
for women.
Destination countries
have a role to play by assisting women to have equal opportunities
to migrate legally and removing discriminatory provisions. These
endeavours can reduce exploitation, illegal migration, smuggling
and trafficking.
Socialist International
Women therefore:
Recognizes the
invaluable contribution of female migrants to both the host and
origin countries;
Notes that female
migrants are more vulnerable to become victims of trafficking and
abuse;
Underlines that
due to restrictive immigration policies and lack of equal opportunities
to migrate safely and legally, women fall victim to illegitimate
labour recruiters, leading to exploitation and trafficking;
Calls upon the
International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to assist national
governments to ensure that their migration and development policies
are gender sensitive and take into account the specific needs of
women;
Appeals to the
IOM to assist host countries to institute rules regulating migration
flows and help in the creation of opportunities for legal labour
migration that might be an effective alternative to illegal migration;
Urges the World
Trade Organisation (WTO) to ensure developmental aid in all trade
agreements addressing the gender dimension of international migration;
Calls upon the
United Nations (UN) to urge its member states to better manage international
migration by enhancing the benefits and minimizing the risks through
bilateral agreements;
Welcomes the initiative
of the first Global Forum on Migration and Development (9 - 11 July
2007, in Belgium) and strongly recommends that the gender
dimension of migration is included within its framework;
Urges the UN Global
Commission on International Migration (GCIM) to ensure that the
gender dimension of migration is incorporated in all policy development;
Calls upon governments,
especially those of receiving countries to ratify the International
Convention of the UN on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families.
Finally, Socialist International
Women calls upon member parties of the Socialist International to
advocate for parliamentary and governmental initiatives resulting
in the implementation of laws and national action plans aimed at
facilitating the integration of migrants with a special emphasis
on gender.
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