Combatting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion of Migrants in Europe

Transcription

1 Combatting Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion of Migrants in Europe Forum: General Assembly 1 Student Officer: Tony Cho, Deputy President Introduction In recent years, Europe has been facing an increase in the number of migrants fleeing from conflict regions in Middle East and African countries. In April 2015, 5 million Syrian refugees entered the European continent in search of safe places. Although their arrival initially provided them with some reliefs, a cascade of problems started to emerge: family separation, language barriers, legal status, unemployment, homelessness, unequal educational opportunities, and lack of health care. Thus, promoting social inclusion of migrants in Europe has been the focus of public concerns from many governments in Europe, creating a cascade of responses. This issue corresponds to the Sustainable Asylum Applications in the European Union in 2015 according to Eurostat Data Development Goal No. 16 set by the United Nations: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide an access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all level. Furthermore, according to the 14 th Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Right and Conventions Regarding the Status of Refugees (1951), the nations must provide refugees and migrants with the adequate social aid to integrate them with the new environment. Despite such consents, in 2016, at least 118 million migrants were at the risk of social exclusion and poverty, which equates to 23.5 % of the population of Europe. Moreover, of all people at such a risk, 72.5 million accounted for the working age (20-64). Background Syrian Refugee Crisis With the advent of the Arab Spring the Arabian movement in 2010 against oppressive regimes and low standard of living Syrian people demonstrating against Syrian government showing a sheer petulance at the infringement of Human Rights and oppressive regime of Ba ath Party. In response to the demonstrations, Syrian National Army intervened in March 2011 in attempt to suppress the resistance; however, this eventually resulted in the creation of Antigovernmental forces Salafi Jihadist, ISIS, and Rebel Groups, etc. This internal conflict has caused

2 the deaths of millions. The issues regarding social integration of migrants in Europe started to arise in 2015 when the soaring numbers of refugees seeking for security arrived in many European countries. According to the United Nations, over 20 million people in Syria and 4 million in Iraq is in need of a humanitarian support, and at least 10 million have fled their country, mainly due to the internal conflicts that arose as a result of the absence of the centralized power. Furthermore, it is estimated that Asylum Applications waiting for their acceptance. due to the protracted conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Mali, and Nigeria, the number of migrants will skyrocket within 5 years. Employment and poverty The issues regarding unemployment and low wages are closely associated with the problems of integration of the immigrants. The majority of the immigrants in European countries are considered poor in terms of their assets and income level. This is due to European governments issuing few working opportunities: getting employments for immigrants are extremely rare cases in European countries. The other factors may include expenditure on buying daily lives, complicated procedures of paperwork (registration), obstacles to language, and discrimination by employers. In France, for example, even after the implementation of the policy that encourages the employment of immigrants in 2016, the number of immigrants in a single workplace could not exceed 15%. Furthermore, the research conducted by the United Nations states that it requires at least 6 months for the immigrants to get the employment documents that allow them to get jobs in European countries. It is reported that some immigrants even have chosen prostitution as a means of survival. Indeed, a number of blockades in the labor market racial discrimination, legal restriction, and language have brought about a huge problem in integrating immigrants in European countries. International Actions Treaty of Amsterdam Adopted in 1997, the treaty of Amsterdam made member states of the European Union amend their laws to promote the integration of non-european migrants. The treaty urged the member states of the European Union to amend their laws to harshly punish discrimination based on races and beliefs. This treaty also affected the passage of Tampere Program within European Union. With the Tampere Program, the member states agreed on the idea that the ultimate goal of such policies is to grant the non-european migrants with national rights such as minimum wage and lawful protection comparable to those of European citizens. Treaty of 10 Year Common Basic Principles Agreed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council and the European Union in November

3 2004 with commitments reviewed in June 2014, the treaty of Common Basic Principles urged the member states to adapt the idea that integration is crucial to promote the economic growth and indicates respect for the aims and values of European Union. The treaty further emphasized the importance of provision of employment, language assistance, education, and equal access to public space and services. Moreover, it stressed the significance of mainstreaming integration policies and required the member states to send the portfolios regarding progress on their policies. Treaty of the European Migration Network Passed by the European Union, the treaty of the European Migration Network ensures non-european residents to receive equal rights and treatment comparable to those of European citizen within the Union. It also guarantees that all people legally residing in the EU s territory for more than 5 consecutive years are to be given long-term resident status. To support this treaty, European Union have passed 3 policies: the National Contact Points on Integration in 2002, European Migration Network in 2003; and European Integration Network in Places of High Concern Greece With an unprecedented influx of immigrants from North Africa and Middle East, Greece, with its severe economic crisis, has already passed its capacity to accommodate refugees. The refugees entering Greece are very miserable in terms of their income and quality of life. Every day, the refugees in Greece are making frenetic attempts to survive: they have to pay a great deal of money to the brokers who helped them arrive in Greece and spend additional expenses in search of another broker to help them get an ID card and a sustainable job. Furthermore, the Greek law states that the migrants need two-year waiting period in order for them to be eligible for permanent employment and employment subsidy. Spain Non-European immigration has been one of the key political issues in Spain, for the location of Spain (near the Mediterranean Sea) serves as a gateway for the main immigration fluxes to enter the European Union: African, Arabian, Asian, and Latin American. With the harbingers of labor shortages in Spain, immigrants in Spain are projected to be integral to its economy: Head of the Barcelona Mayor s Office once said, If Barcelona wishes to maintain a growth rate that is not below 1.5%, it will need at least 500,000 immigrants to settle in the next few years. Despite its desperate need of labor forces, the guidelines set by Spanish government to promote incorporation and integration of migrants have been elusive so far because of the policies conditioned by European Union. Armed with these facts, the immigrants in Spain are facing high barriers to their employment. Germany The largest influxes of immigrants in the human history reach Germany. According to the Central Register of Foreigners of Germany, of the total population of Germany 82 million 18.6 million people have migrant backgrounds. However, a large portion of immigrants

4 in Germany are going through various hardships: education, employment, and many others. For example, between 2005 and 2017, 80 percent of migrants under the age of 19 turned out to face failure in their academic progress, indicating that Germany is failing to integrate the migrants. According to German Statistical Office, it is estimated that just 13.9 percent of the migrants ends up with a degree from universities or technological colleges. With the unparalleled influxes of migrants, it is said that the number declined to 7% in China Despite the fact that China is known for welcoming foreign investments for the last decades, Chinese government recently decided not to accept refugees from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Because Chinese government pursues a strong communist party, Chinese government regards the influxes of the refugees Islam, for instance as a deterrent to advancement of its political system. While China does not open its border, the Chinese government recently increased its spending on the resources to assist the refugees in the United Nations: from $2.8 million in 2013 to $12.5 million in Instead of risking the country s security by accepting millions of refugees, the Chinese government decided to help them by giving financial aids and promote peace in areas replete with conflicts, particularly within the Middle East and North Africa. United States of America The United States of America is known for its history of welcoming immigrants and refugees. An array of the U.S. refugee resettlement programs indicate the United States dedications to providing the refugees with compassion, generosity, and new opportunities. Since 1975, the U.S. government has accepted over 3 million immigrants from all around the world. Following its values and history, the United States, in response to armed conflicts in Middle East and North Africa (Syria, for example), began to welcome significantly more refugees from those regions. In partnership with Canada, the United States decided to allocate the number of refugees to provide them with the effective resettlement programs. The United States, for instance, has been allocating the refugees according to their family ties and compositions, health, age, and language. Moreover, the U.S. government has been granting the refugees with financial aid to support them to learn English and seek employment. As a result, the refugees are extremely wellassimilated into the U.S. culture, showing higher levels of education and language proficiency compared to those of the in other countries. However, since the advent of Presidency of Donald Trump, the acceptance rate for the immigrants has been declining due to President s protectionist policy.

5 Stance of the P5 Nations (France, Russia, and United Kingdom) France France is also known for providing asylum to many foreign refugees. Although French Constitution highly encourages the acceptance of the refugees, the stance of French government towards this issue has started to change drastically. For example, with the consecutive terrorist attacks in France, 70 percent of French people said, The refugees are causing their country to change in the ways they do not like, and they are not willing to support the refugees to assimilate into their society at all. Furthermore, France has been facing a severe level of deficit in its budget due to its excessive expenditure on welfare systems in the past decades. Therefore, although the European Union may urge the French government to accept more refugees, the French government may take a hardline stance on accepting refugees and reduce its spending on immigrant-integration policies, reinforcing its immigration procedures and border security. Russian Federation In recent years, immigrants from all around have been rushing to Russia in search of opportunity. According to the United Nations, Russian Federation was second only to the United States in the sheer number of the refugees. The reason behind it may be the following: Russian government is experiencing an unprecedented increase in aging population, so the demand for labor is soaring in every city. Subsequently, resettlement for the refugees in Russia is known to be relatively easier than that of other countries; many immigrants are even able to earn way much higher wages than they were in their home countries. Furthermore, Russian government is implementing policies that offer the refugees with a variety of learning and internship (Employment) experiences. Nevertheless, due to a soaring world-wide apprehension on terrorism, Russian government recently announced that it will reduce the acceptance rate of the refugees. United Kingdom In the past, United Kingdom was known as one of the most generous countries in the world when it comes to migrant issues. However, the recent polls suggest that immigration is currently the biggest issue that irritates the people in the United Kingdom and that its government is more likely to lower the acceptance of immigrants. Moreover, the recent Brexit and subsequent terrorism attacks all around European continent make it hard for the member states in the European Union to cooperate with the United Kingdom to alleviate their burdens, such as the allocation of refugees. It is clear that U.K. government is more likely to reduce the number of immigrants in the near future. Possible Solutions: Reaffirming Laws to Combat Xenophobia and Racism One of the feasible solutions to foster an integration of migrants is to reaffirm laws that sanction the organizations Neo-Nazis, for example championing the acts of xenophobia. The implementation of this policy must come along with the European Union s agreement, for most laws of European countries are heavily conditioned by EU. The reinforcement of laws may include encouraging SNS companies to ban postings by identified racist organizations. A recent study suggests that the racist organizations recruited new members to commit act of xenophobia in

6 Germany and Belgium through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Although this regulation may be regarded as an infringement on the freedom of speech, the European Union passed the European non-discrimination law that prohibits racial discrimination across a range of contexts and grounds. Well-rounded education In order to promote the integration of migrants, the improvement of the education system should come first. Education itself increases social mobility among immigrants, lowering dependency on the welfare provided by shelter nations and increasing chances of getting employed. The educational reforms for immigrants may include the establishment of special schools that welcome refugees, language learning centers in which qualified teachers help the immigrants to settle in new places and understand the local cultures, and more. Furthermore, it is imperative for us to furnish educational programs that enable not only the immigrants, but also the local people to share their cultures, for most obstacles to integrating the immigrants come from the misinterpretation of the cultures by others. Therefore, annual cultural sessions with the local people and immigrants may be a key to solving these obstacles. Underscoring the importance of cooperation among the local people and immigrants, the cultural interactions may lead the people to understand their responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality, and equity. Glossary Political Asylum: The right to live in a foreign country, which is given directly by the government of the country to the people who left their own countries for political reasons. Refugee: Although it seems quite similar to the term migrant, refugee specifically refers to people who are forced to leave their country because of several reasons, including wars and conflicts over religious beliefs. Migrant: The United Nations defines a migrant as an individual who has resided in a foreign country for more than one year irrespective of the causes, voluntary or involuntary, and the means, regular or irregular, used to migrate. This definition formally encompasses refugees, asylumseekers and economic migrants. Xenophobia: Xenophobia is the fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. Xenophobic behaviors are based on existing racist, ethnic, religious, cultural, and national prejudice, whereas racist practice is limited to physical characteristic differences such as skin color. Since racism and xenophobia are highly related, it is important to understand the differences between the two terms. Timeline: The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is established, with various regulations and standards that defines political asylum and establishes a principle.

7 1990- EU sets up a common policy regarding asylum seekers, and it continued to be updated and implemented through the European Union and Dublin Regulation in Along with Arabian Spring, Syrian demonstrators against their government began getting violent The Islamic State in Syria and Iraq announced that its overall objectives are to force its strict Islamic ideologies on all areas that it controls European countries such as Greece and Italy faced an unprecedented influx of immigrants from Syria and Iraq Angela Merkel, Minister of Germany, declared temporal closing of its border.

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