On Thursday 7th December, Equinet organised a conference entitled “Inclusion of and discrimination against migrants in Europe – The contribution of equality bodies” in Brussels, Belgium.
According to the Migrant Integration Policy Index, non-EU citizens of working age make up 37% of those with lower educational attainments in Europe. Since 2008, their employment rates have dropped to 56.5%. In 2014, their risk of poverty or social exclusion increased to 49%, which is twice the level for EU citizens.
The EU MIDIS Survey of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) also gives a grim picture of the very low rates of reporting of discrimination cases against people with an ethnic minority or immigrant background.
Equality bodies have the mandate to protect any victim of discrimination regardless of nationality, citizenship and migration status. At a challenging time marked by the rise of far-right parties, hate crime and hate speech, their contribution is essential to protect migrants from discrimination and support their inclusion.
Objectives
This conference aimed to:
- Explore the current context across Europe in relation to discrimination against migrants and the implications of this for the work of equality bodies,
- Discuss what can be done at international, EU and national levels to improve inclusion of migrants and address discrimination against migrants,
- Connect with stakeholders working on migrants’ rights and discuss ways of cooperating with them.
The conference built on the Equinet Factsheet & Compendium of Good Practices on Inclusion of Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, updated in November 2017.
Speakers’ Presentations & Documents
OPENING SESSION
- Welcome and opening – Kirsi Pimiä, Member of the Equinet Executive Board & Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, Finland
- Keynote Address – Rossalina Latcheva & David Reichel, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
The EU-MIDIS II survey is available here.
SESSION 1 – Discrimination against migrants in Europe: State of play
Chair: Kirsi Pimiä, Member of the Equinet Executive Board & Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, Finland
- ENAR shadow report on racism and discrimination in the context of migration in Europe – Ojeaku Nwabuzo, European Network against Racism (ENAR)
- Discrimination against migrant women and access to justice – Salome Mbugua, European Network of Migrant Women (ENOMW)
- Discrimination against LGBTI+ migrants and access to justice – Jules Teoh, ILGA-Europe
- Remedies and reaching out to migrant victims of discrimination: the equality bodies’ perspective – Andreas Pottakis, Greek Ombudsman
SESSION 2: Panel discussion – Promising practices and ways forward
Chair: Isabelle Chopin, Migration Policy Group (MPG)
- StandUp4HumanRights Campaign – Dima Yared, Human Rights Officer, United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR)
- Urban Agenda for the EU – Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees – Mark Boekwijt, Member of the Partnership and representative of the city of Amsterdam in Brussels
- Mentoring Programme for Migrants – Bárbara Duque, High Commissioner for Migration, Portugal
- Promoting positive narratives – Anna Roguski, Outsider Project Manager, Migrants’ Rights Network (MRN)
WORKSHOPS: Strengthening cooperation for better inclusion of migrants
- Discrimination against undocumented migrants: implementation of the ECRI GPR n°16 – Facilitator: Alyna Smith, Platform for international cooperation on undocumented migrants (PICUM)
- Promoting disability-sensitive approaches to discrimination against migrants – Facilitator: Catherine Naughton, European Disability Forum (EDF)
- Reaching out and first line support to migrants – Facilitators: Gwenda Decooman, Myria and Emilie Van Laer, Unia (Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities)
Photos
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| Inclusion of and discrimination against migrants in Europe – Brussels, 7 December 2017 |