Increasing the role of NGOs in Increasing the role of NGOs in the social integration of the social integration of

labour migrants in the CR labour migrants in the CR

Association for Integration and Association for Integration and MigrationMigration

7 October 2011, Lisbone

Eva Valentova

CONTENT1) Introduction of AIM with the focus on:

• Background

• Free counselling & advocacy (our core mission)

2) ESF project on the role NGOs in the field of labour migration

• Objectives

• Role of NGOs

3) Domestic workers – immigrant women • Situation in the CR

• Our approach

1. ABOUT AIM

OUR HISTORY1992: Czech Helsinki Committee – Counselling Centre

for Refugees

1998: COM - sister organization registered

2002: CCR - newly established 2008: CCR merged with COM into AIM (SIMI) –

Association for integration and migration

Merger background: Be transparent to the external world Follow the “market demand” – shrinking numbers of refugees v.

Schengen migration Resist better to the financial difficulties – be more consistent in

the granting procedures Extend the objectives and activities – evolving tolerance, fighting

xenophobia and racism

OUR MISSION

• Human rights and non-profit organisation

• Respect of rights of foreign nationals & refugees

• Right to independent & free assistance• Most appropriate solutions• Offering non-selective advice• Grass-root (12 employees & volunteers)

OUR BACKGROUND

Support:From 1992-2000 – primary support from UNHCR, MoI CRFrom 2000• European Commission, European Social Fund,

European Integration fund, European Refugee Fund• Ministries, Embassies, Prague City Hall• Open Society Fund, CEE Trust & other foundations

Member of:CR - Consortium of Organizations Working with Migrants,

FoRS Intl – SCEP, UNITED, PICUM, ENAR, Migreurop

OUR TARGET GROUPSAll migrants irrespective of their legal status

– TNCs and EU citizens• asylum seekers• recognised refugees & subsidiary protection holders• legally staying foreigners• irregular migrants• family members of foreigners

Number of supported persons: 1315

Interventions:• 7401 in the office• 1472 in the field

OUR ACTIVITIES• Legal and social counseling – free of charge

• Psychosocial assistance – vulnerable

• Monitoring/lobbying/legislative activities

• Multicultural events - evenings, concerts

• Raising awareness activities – media, seminars, conferences, lectures at schools, festivals

• Publications – irregular migration/regularisation, detention centres, legislative comments, impact of the crisis, guide for immigrants

LEGAL COUNSELLING• Asylum law – asylum procedure

• Immigration law – visa/residence, nationality, returns

• Labor law – work contracts, unlawful acts of employers, rights and duties under labour code

• Civil and family law – marriage, divorce, care of children

• Commercial law – entrepreneurs, companies

• Social security

• Criminal law with relation to the immigration

SOCIAL COUNSELLINGAssistance aims to enhance integration of immigrants and their ability to be independent•Basic cultural & institutional orientation

•Employment – job search, practical, requalification

•Accommodation

•Healthcare

•Social security & social benefits

•Education – recognition of qualifications

•Accompanying or contact to institutions and services

•Individual assistance of volunteers

•Material help

FOCUS ON WOMEN• Vulnerability – double discrimination

• Migrant status – limited access to rights• Gender issues – matching work with family life,

domestic violence, harrassment

• Psychosocial assistance• Counselling in separated room• Babysitting during the courses• Special campaigns

• Pregnant immigrant women• Domestic workers

• Therapeutical womens’ groups (past)

ADVOCACY & LEGISLATION• Comments to the asylum & immigration law amendments• Legislative initiatives • Monitoring & legal analyses• Press conferences, open letters, happenings

Membership: • Council for Human Rights & Committee for Rights of Aliens• Consortium of NGOs working with immigrants• International networks & platforms

Projects:• Regularisation of irregular migration (Norway funds, ESF)• Why should they stay left beyond? (Equal)• DEVAS – AS & UDMs in detention centres (EC)

2. Project NGOs and labour migration

BASIC INFORMATION

• ESF (OP Human Ressources & Employment)

• 2 years (1 Jan 2011 – 31 Dec 2012)

• 3 NGOs – international cooperation– AIM (CZ)– SOLIM (PT)– ZeMIT (AT)

• 7 project members

• 13 activities

OBJECTIVES General:•Promote social integration of labour migrants, incl. domestic workers•Strengthen the role of NGOs in this field

Concrete:•Enhance better access of foreigners to the labour market

•Prevent them from painful forms of social exclusion

•Contribute to the settlement of distorted labour market

•Establish an effective cooperation with labour offices

•Propose systematic and partial changes in legislative as well as in practice

•Raise awareness about situation of domestic workers

ROLE OF NGOs - CONTEXT• Position of Czech NGOs much weaker

• AT – support of Labour Office

• PT – strong network of immigrants

• CZ – state bodies consider NGOs as trouble makers despite their expertise

• Good practice – NGO as an intermediairy between the state and immigrants

• AT – direct counselling at the AMS

• PT – CNAI and socio-cultural mediators

• CZ – exchange of information to be transformed

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Transfer directly the good practice examples from partner countries into the Czech environment in the area of social integration of foreigners at the legal market

Apply foreign experience to similar measures in the Czech Republic

NGOs in cooperation generate the pressure for the change of legislative regulations in the area of migration policy

3. Domestic workers

DOMESTIC WORK IN THE CRIt is an issue even though hidden

Illegal employment of domestic workers is generally tolerated by

• Czech society – economically beneficial, influence of former regime

• immigrant women – immediate job & money

Not surveyed field – challenge to identify problems•ignorance of the rights and duties

•isolation constraints the access to NGOs’ services

•unpaid salary, immediate dismissals

•limited access to healthcare, no social benefits

•if undocumented – fear of denounciation

PROJECT ACTIVITIES• Collection and exchange of information

– SOLIM – project GAMI, ComuniDaria– Foreign campaigns– PICUM – report from workshop

• Share of practices – Seminars & Internships abroad with round tables

• Networking – ComuniDaria

• Free of charge legal and social counselling with the emphasis on labour-law and domestic work

• Seminars for target group

• Internet access free of charge

CAMPAIGN

Pre-phase:• Medialisation – ILO Convention

• Focus group

• Brainstorming with SOLIM and Comunidaria

Campaign:• Leaflets – illegal work, rights and duties, our

contacts• Social spots – immigrants, public

PERSPECTIVES

• Attract immigrants – domestic workers to our services

• Develop contacts with employers

• Pressure on the Czech state to ratify the ILO convention

• Raise awareness of the public

• Widen the international networking – EWL

• New project with in-depth research and advocacy work

THANK YOU!

This document was created under the project "Increasing the role of NGOs in the social integration of labour migrants in the Czech Republic", financed by the European Social Fund through the Operational Program Human Resources and Employment and the Czech Republic state budget. The project is implemented by the Association for Integration and Migration. International project partners are Solidariedade Imigrante and Zentrum für MigrantInnen Tirol.