Migration Matters

Putting a new face on racism

By Daniel Nelson Anglo-Saxons respect manliness, militarism and power. In Britain, for example, the natives admire Sikhs and Gurkhas – martial peoples – and scorn meek, poetry-loving Bengalis (few Brits know anything about the bravery of the Bangladesh independence struggle). The weaker you are seen to be, the more you attract white racism. To avert it, you need to display, as a migrant community or a race or a nation, physical prowess or power. Anti-Chinese racism – as evidenced, for example, by loutish behaviour in Chinese restaurants – diminished in…

By Daniel Nelson Anglo-Saxons respect manliness, militarism and power. In Britain, for example, the natives admire Sikhs and Gurkhas – martial peoples – and scorn meek, poetry-loving Bengalis (few Brits…

1 hour in the life of a million migrants

Juana In A Million by Daniel Nelson Human heads rolled onto a Mexican dancefloor, groping hands in a London restaurant kitchen, a rip-off job agency refusing payment, cleaning lavatories, unpacking boxes, reeking sheets in a hot-bedding hostel, an elderly Englishman looking for a pliable wife. Does Juana survive the immigrant experience? Vicky Araico Casas reveals all in her one-hour, one-woman piece, Juana in a Million, born out of her own experience as an illegal migrant in Canada and from stories heard when she moved, legally, to Britain. There’s plenty of…

Juana In A Million by Daniel Nelson Human heads rolled onto a Mexican dancefloor, groping hands in a London restaurant kitchen, a rip-off job agency refusing payment, cleaning lavatories, unpacking…

New 'Living Together' report

A new publication by The Open Society Foundations, Living Together: Projects Promoting Inclusion in 11 EU Cities is intended to serve as a resource for local and national governments, policymakers, practitioners, civil society actors, and others working on social inclusion of minorities and marginalized groups in Europe. This second edition has 27 new initiatives, policies, and projects that seek to help and support socially excluded communities, or address similar issues faced by other groups. The countries included are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.…

A new publication by The Open Society Foundations, Living Together: Projects Promoting Inclusion in 11 EU Cities is intended to serve as a resource for local and national governments,…

2013 Migrant and Refugee Women Awards

Five extraordinary women were honoured on International Women’s Day, at The 2013 Migrant and Refugee Woman of the Year Awards Ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London as part of the Women of the World Festival. THE 2013 JOINT WINNERS ARE: Remzije Sherifi, Kosovan Glaswegian, former journalist, who began volunteering within 10 days of arriving in Scotland in 1999 from a refugee camp, despite not speaking English and being seriously ill. Remzije now runs Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) where she supports migrants and Scottish people. Constance…

Five extraordinary women were honoured on International Women’s Day, at The 2013 Migrant and Refugee Woman of the Year Awards Ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London as…

Migrant Voice 2012 launched

Migrant Voice has launched the new issue of the Migrant Voice paper at an event at the Guardian in London on February 9th, and at the Nishkam Centre in Birmingham on the 15th. Another launch is planned for February 29th in Glasgow. The Migrant Voice paper celebrates the success and contribution of migrants and their role in influencing life and culture in the UK, and shaping its future. The Migrant Voice paper is printed in 100,000 copies and will distributed widely, especially in London, Birmingham and Glasgow. Please contact us…

Migrant Voice has launched the new issue of the Migrant Voice paper at an event at the Guardian in London on February 9th, and at the Nishkam Centre in Birmingham…

Report on "Gender-related asylum claims in Europe"

Asylum Aid and european partner refugee organisations have published "Gender-related asylum claims in Europe", a comparative analysis of the way victims of gender-based persecution are treated when they claim asylum in nine EU member states. Across the European Union, women constitute on average one in three of those applying for asylum in their own right. These are women who have been forced to flee from rape, sexual violence and other human rights abuses overseas. And refugee organisations have demanded for years that women seeking protection in Europe can…

Asylum Aid and european partner refugee organisations have published "Gender-related asylum claims in Europe", a comparative analysis of the way victims of gender-based persecution are treated when they claim…

Decades of refugee experiences

“Having to escape is one of the most terrifying feelings that a human being can experience,” reads one of the nine testimonies featured in the Jewish Museum’s World City: Refugee Stories exhibition. “I have a good life here,” the testimony continues, “but there is a sense of desolation refugees can experience that can break your spirit.” Sadly, it is not only spirit that can be broken. After fleeing Kinshasa in 2002, says Alain, “I was the victim of a racist attack and was blinded in one…

“Having to escape is one of the most terrifying feelings that a human being can experience,” reads one of the nine testimonies featured in the Jewish Museum’s World City:…

Campaigning for the right to work

Members from the Regional Refugee Forum (RRF) have produced a number of films as part of their campaign for the right to work for asylum seekers. These films project the voices of people from different countries, sharing similar experiences of exile. The films give personal and first-hand accounts of the impact of not being allowed to work on their lives, on their children, and their ability to contribute to the region. Most of these members are now living in the North East undergoing the same treatment of the…

Members from the Regional Refugee Forum (RRF) have produced a number of films as part of their campaign for the right to work for asylum seekers. These films…

Domestic workers' migration and gender

The international division of reproductive labour: The case of Filipina domestic workers in London “I came here to earn money to support them (children) for their education because what I was earning before is only enough for their [basic] needs. And my eldest was only grade 6 or first year of high school, then I was thinking that in 4 more years he’ll be going to college and I don’t want him to stop. I want him to go to school and finish his education, That’s why I…

The international division of reproductive labour: The case of Filipina domestic workers in London “I came here to earn money to support them (children) for their education because…

Arab Spring impacting on immigration

A new public opinion survey shows that immigration and integration continued to be matters of intense policy discussion in both the United States and Europe. According to the fourth-annual Transatlantic Trends: Immigration survey of public opinion in the United States and five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), slight majorities in the United States (53%) and Europe (52%) continue to view immigration as more of a problem than an opportunity. Most also maintain a negative view of government management of immigration, with 68% of Europeans…

A new public opinion survey shows that immigration and integration continued to be matters of intense policy discussion in both the United States and Europe. According to the fourth-annual…

Migration Matters