By Martin Banks - 30th March 2011
Member states should stop criminalising people for wanting to meet their basic needs”
Jean Lambert
A Brussels conference was told that government policies "directly contribute" to the destitution of migrants across Europe.
It heard that throughout Europe "thousands" of migrants are deprived of access to education, healthcare, housing and social welfare services.
The issue has once again been thrust into the spotlight over recent concern about the welfare and treatment of refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict in Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world who are arriving in large numbers on the island of Lampedusa, of the Italian coast.
The conference, on Tuesday, was told the current refugee crisis illustrates the need for all migrants to be protected, "regardless of their legal status."
That was the central message expressed by participants at the conference, organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service on the destitution of migrants in Europe.
Conference participants, including representatives from trade unions, migration organisations, governments, as well as education and medical associations, criticised EU government policies that exclude migrants from society and make them destitute.
In a keynote speech, UK Greens MEP Jean Lambert called on member states to "stop criminalising people for wanting to meet their basic needs".
She said solutions to stem migrant destitution include amending EU laws to grant asylum seekers means to become more self-sufficient and monitoring member state legal and social practices towards undocumented migrants.
Including migrants within the EU's anti-poverty strategy is an "absolute" necessity, she said.
She said, "Governments ought to understand the risks that destitution poses to public policy. It is a pan-European problem, and we have to do something about it".
Simon Tesfamichael, an Eritrean refugee living in Italy, gave his personal experiences of living destitute in Rome.
After a treacherous journey through Sudan and Libya, where conditions were as unsafe as in Eritrea, he arrived on Lampedusa and found his way to Rome, where he was granted refugee status.
"I got my freedom. But I had no support from the Italian government. In Rome, I joined a group of 500 migrants living under a bridge. My medical condition worsened, but JRS Italy helped me to access medical treatment."
He learned Italian on his own, but since the Italian state offers no integration support to refugees, he remained mired in destitution.
"I lived in a wooden shack. I learned the language but could not become self-sufficient. I didn't have help to find a job. In Italy, refugees have no rights," said Tesfamichael.
The destitution of migrants in Europe is caused by a variety of factors, it was said.
In Germany and Romania, holders of a 'toleration' status have little to no access to public housing and healthcare.
Asylum seekers in Britain cannot work while they await a decision on their application, which can take many months. Migrants living in Italy fear seeking medical treatment since medical personnel might report them to local authorities.
The solution, according to Stefan Kessler of JRS, lies with creating networks that can place pressure on EU governments.
"The destitution of migrants concerns all sectors of civil society, from employers to educators, doctors and to policy makers. Together we agreed that human rights should not depend on one's legal status. The EU and its member states are obligated to care for all persons within their territory."
