WUNRN
WAVE - Women Against Violence Europe
Vienna+20
commemorates the Second World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in June
1993, a landmark with regard to the realization and advancement of human
rights.
Women against Violence Europe (WAVE) Press Release: 25.6.2013
WAVE calls for ending discrimination against undocumented migrant women:
States must guarantee protection from violence to undocumented migrant women
On
the occasion of Vienna +20, WAVE would
like to bring attention to the plight of undocumented migrant women survivors
of violence in Europe. To commemorate the World Conference on Human Rights
that took place in Vienna in June 1993, 20 years later members of the human
rights movement will take part in a week of activities (24-28 June 2013) to strengthen the human rights movement and dedicate a part
of the gathering to issues related to women’s rights, including combating
violence against women.
Migration to Europe is a growing phenomenon. With
increased mobility, migration in Europe has significant impact on all sectors
and aspects of society in European countries. For this reason, in addition to
addressing the needs of migrants, governments must focus their efforts on
addressing the needs of undocumented migrants as well.
There are an estimated 5 to 8 million undocumented migrants throughout Europe.
Majority of undocumented migrants in Europe have entered legally, but due to
complex or unfavourable policies were left with no valid residence or
employment permit. This may include overstaying one’s visa, denial of asylum[1][1]
or ending a marriage or relationship, among others. As a result, the women’s rights movement has included promotion of the
rights of undocumented migrant women on their agenda, more specifically right
to protection from violence in form of having access to support services for
undocumented migrant women who are survivors of violence, including domestic
violence.
For
various reasons, undocumented migrant women are more susceptible to
experiencing violence, whether at the hands of their employer or partner,
especially if the woman’s work or residence permit is dependent on employment
or relationship. In cases, where migrant
women are financially insecure or may lack a close support system, due to
leaving their country of origin, migrant women rarely have means to escape
violent situations. In these cases, their only hope may be to access help
from women’s services such as women’s shelters, where they can be offered
accommodation and go through a support process, where they receive the
necessary counselling to help them improve their situation, which would include
receiving necessary documentation and/or even finding sustainable employment.
Unfortunately, a significant problem facing undocumented migrant
women or Roma women in Europe is that they are denied access to women’s
shelters because of their ethnic background or residence status. Often, government funds
allocated to women’s shelters are subject to strict reporting requirements,
meaning that shelters must collect information on the residence status of the
woman and can only receive funds to accommodate and support the woman if she is
documented. To change this situation of
human rights violations and injustice, the WAVE Network will carry out a
campaign to improve access of undocumented migrant women to shelters and
justice in the next years, together with the European based Platform for
International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants PICUM. The campaign is
now in the planning stages. It should be noted that undocumented migrant women
not only face denied access to services, but also to other life-saving channels
like essential healthcare provision.
There is hope that the
newly introduced (2011) Council of Europe Convention on preventing and
combating violence against women and domestic violence will address protection
for undocumented migrant women. It is the first legally binding instrument in
the area of violence against women in Europe. It is a comprehensive document,
covering the area of policy, prevention, provision and prosecution and
providing many detailed provisions in more than 80 articles. It contains an
extensive non-discrimination clause, including
the prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity,
migrant or refugee or other status.
Undocumented migrant women contribute to the society
in which they live, whether through employment or other economic contributions
such as purchasing of goods and services. If not for
this reason only, simply by the fact that they have basic human needs, their
right to protection from violence, and access to women’s services, must be
guaranteed. Despite their perceived status, they are entitled to live in
dignity and have their needs addressed.[2][2]
For further
information, please contact: Barbara Stelmaszek
E-mail: barbara.stelmaszek@wave-network.org
Phone: +43 0 154 827 20
Fax: +43 0 154 827 2027
[3][[4]1] Platform for International
Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM). Undocumented Migrants.
http://picum.org/en/our-work/undocumented-migrants