Brussels, 04/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The members of the European Parliament have made various recommendations for female migrants residing illegally in the EU to be better protected. On Tuesday 4 February, they adopted the non-legislative resolution of Norica Nicolai (EPP, Romania), by 327 votes to 303, with 36 abstentions, due to concerns at the fate of these illegal female migrants.
Eve Geddie, the director of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), welcomed the adoption of the report, stressing that this is the first initiative of the European Parliament which acknowledges that “every woman has the right to live a life free of violence no matter where she comes from or what her papers say”, she told EUROPE. The MEPs are calling on the member states to recognise these women as a vulnerable social group, and stress that a joint legal immigration framework could provide better protection for these potential victims. They are calling for the member states to take the necessary measures to ensure that illegal migrants are not pushed into forced labour or prostitution. The revision of the “employer” directive should bring in the possibility for migrants to make anonymous complaints against abusive employers. The resolution also recommends that illegal female migrants should have access to healthcare or psychological assistance. Healthcare professionals would not be obliged to report illegal migrants. Police services would be better trained, with female staff available to deal with female migrants (officials, experts, reference persons). In addition, the plank on detention in the framework of the “returns” directive should step up the protection of fundamental rights. Lastly, the Commission and the member states are also called upon to run awareness campaigns in Europe aimed at this high-risk section if the public, as well as education campaigns for women in the countries of origin in order to prevent migration. (MD/transl.fl)