Human Rights Violations. the Real Cause of Conflict Involving Migrants Around the World
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08 ESTEVEZ.Human Rights:Layout 1 8/7/09 21:14 Page 28 Human Rights Violations. The Real Cause of Conflict Involving Migrants around the World Ariadna Estévez* o r u c s o t r a ons ervative and usually racist political discourse u C / n around the world blames economic immigrants for á m z u encouraging conflict and even violence. Detractors G o l C o of migration take as an example the series of disturbances P o c r a involving the young descendents of Maghrebi immigrants M in Paris for two weeks starting on October 27, 2005. However, evidence shows that several forms of human rights violations —from governmental tolerance of xenophobia and labor ex- ploitation to repression of legitimate political activism and racist legislation— are behind conflicts involving migrants not only in North America and Europe, but also in countries like South Africa, Egypt and Malaysia. Based on the analysis of cases registered by the world press between 2001 and 2008, 1 this article examines eight forms o f violence and conflict involving different kinds of migrants (undocumented immigrants, seasonal workers and first- and second-generation documented immigrants) that result fro m gross human rights violations. Undocumented Central Americans in detention in southern Mexico. CONFLICTS INVOLVING UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS immigrants, and confrontations often take on a racist dimen - AND SEASONAL WORKERS sion. Examples of such cases can be found in Spain, Japan, Ton ga, the United States, South Africa, the United Kingdom Among the types of conflict involving undocumented and and Russia. However, the most tragic example is per haps that seasonal workers the following can be highlighted: of South Africa where, in May 2008, in the tow n of Alexandria 1. Disturbances initiated by xenophobic attacks. It is rarely near Johannesburg, a series of hate attacks on imm igrants mentioned that it is the majority rather than the immigrant from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi wen t on for two minorit y that initiates disturbances and acts of violence. These weeks. In that time, at least 24 immigrants were shot, stab- problems tend to arise where immigration is recent and large . bed or beaten to death while hundreds more were injured The receiving society perceives immigrants as the root caus e and a further 13,000 displaced. Immigrants in Sout h Africa of problems that are in reality long-standing and complex, have become the scapegoat for the country’s econo mic prob - such as unemployment or increases in the crime rate. Some lems , including a 23-percent unemployment rate , sinc e banks also disapprove of the habits and customs of recent ly arriv ed and insurance companies seem to prefer employ ing immi - grant workers, who are better qualified than the local pop - * Researcher at CISAN . [email protected] ulation. These clashes triggered further vio lence beyond South 28 08 ESTEVEZ.Human Rights:Layout 1 8/7/09 21:14 Page 29 S OCIETY The receiving society perceives immigrants where he committed suicide before the next attempt to de- as the root cause of problems like unemployment port him, slated for several days later. or increases in the crime rate. 3. The occupation of public buildings . Because they are Some also disapprove of their habits not recognized as subjects under the law, there is a trend and customs and confrontations are often racist. whereby undocumented immigrants physically occu py pub - lic buildings of strategic importance in the receiving coun tr y li ke churches, government offices and restaurants. These kind s Africa’s borders when leaflet s were circulated in Mozamb- of cases have been reported in Spain, Italy, the Cape V erde ique calling for vengeance and a boycott of South African Isla nds and France. In Belgium, a group of immigran ts st aged businesses. a series of sit-ins using six construction cranes dotted throug h - 2. Riots and other forms of protest in detention centers . This ou t Brussels. This type of action is not only staged to focus is the most frequent type of conflict and the most common public attention on demands for regularization, but also to forms are riots, hunger strikes, suicide threats and att empted pr otest the exploitation immigrants cannot legally repo rt. The escapes. The frequency of these events is evidenc e of the fun - most common reasons for occupation are demands for gov - damental contradiction of keeping people who have never com - er nment protection in the face of abuse and violence fro m the mitted a crime in detention, where they would prefer to kill receiving society; demands to be treated in the sam e w ay as loca l themselves than be deprived of their freedom. People held re sidents; and circumstances related to the right to work (rehir - in these centers are mostly asylum seekers waiting for a cour t ing and regularization of migratory status after the unjustifie d verdict . Most recently, in countries like the United Kingdom , termination of employment; reporting of employers’ tricks who these asylum seekers have been held with foreigners serving report their irregular status to authorities and thereby avoid criminal sentences; this form of coexistence simply increases paying their wages; drug tests; anonymous calls to immigratio n the use of weapon s among detainees. authorities; and the dismissal without pay or after attempts The most common reasons for this type of conflict in- to organize a union). clude the imminent deportation of a detainee after awaiting the France is notorious for this type of conflict and has wit - decision of a judge for a prolonged period (up to three years), nessed the occupation of restaurants by undocumented mi- notification of rejection of an asylum application, and the grant workers who were fired after protesting their working suicide of a fellow detainee after being notified of his/her de- conditions. On July 10, 2007, undocumented workers of the po rtation order. In the case of Mexico, detainees rioted in res - fast food chain Buffalo Grill occupied the company’s head ponse to overcrowding and living conditions in the cap ital’s office in Viry-Chatillon, in southern Paris, after being fired detent ion center. There is also growing discontent concernin g and reported to immigration authorities. The immigrants, the the holding of entire families, in particular children who are majority Africans, many of whom had worked at the restau - not even aware of being foreigners; this has led to protests rant for years, now face deportation. The pre vious year an in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States. employe e had proposed himself as candidate for employee One of the most dramatic cases happened May 2, 2008, rep resentation and months later his lack of documents was when a youth from Cameroon seeking asylum in Belgium “anonymously” reported to the police who proceeded to ins- ha nged himself in the bathroom of a detention center in th e pect the papers of more than 600 foreigners employed by city of Merksplas. He used the sheets from his bed, tying the chain. One group of undocumented workers, supported them to the bars on the window. His death sparked a riot amon g by the Federation of Business, Distribution and Services, detainees who smashed furniture and other objects during protested the decision by occupying the company’s parking a disturbance lasting several hours. The youth had arrived in lot for a month; this resulted in the regularization of papers Belgium in 2005 and was taken to Merksplas, which house s for 20 workers. 150 undocumented migrants from Africa, after being denied French-based Buffalo Grill operates roughly 300 restau- asylu m. Days prior to the tragic event, while police attempt - rant s in France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzer land ed to put him on a plane to Cameroon, he had resisted with and employs more than 6,000 workers. Company executives such violence that the captain of the plane refused to take were investigated in 2003 on charges of involuntary mans- him, leading to his being returned to the detention c enter laughter after it came to light that the chain had vio lated the 29 08 ESTEVEZ.Human Rights:Layout 1 8/7/09 21:14 Page 30 VOICES OF MEXICO • 85 migratory status, fair wages and an end to exploitation by Disturbances involving first- employers who they say should face the legal consequences and second-generation immigrants of their actions. This exploitation includes but is not li mit - are fundamentally linked to the formation ed to withholding pay and immigration documents from of ethnic minorities and the social consequences seasonal workers, arbitrary detentions at the workp lace and of the exclusion they experience. unfair dismissals. These actions have been recorded in the United Arab Emirates, China, Greece and Malaysia. Worker ban on importing British beef during the embargo imposed demands are directed at the government, which they call on in the wake of the “mad cow disease” scare from 1996 to 2000. to protect them from employers’ abuses, and protests erupt Com plaints that undocumented workers had lied about their into violence when this exploitation reaches a crisis point. migratory status were disregarded after it was discovered For example, in Dubai on March 23, 2006, 2,500 work - that the immigrants who had been fired from one franchise ers at the Burj Dubai Tower staged a protest demanding a pa y ha d been re-hired by others. Since 2005, the chain has forme d hi ke. The ensuing riot caused damage totaling US$1 million part of a U.S.