Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2015/2316(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Human rights and migration in third countries (A8-0245/2016 - Marie-Christine Vergiat) (vote) FR
Human rights and migration in third countries (short presentation) FR
Reports (1)
REPORT on human rights and migration in third countries PDF (443 KB) DOC (84 KB)
Amendments (50)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the distinction between refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants, whatever the reasons for migration, is not always easy to make and whereas political and economic motives are increasingly frequently involved; whereas, moreover, such a distinction does not always make sense in countries which at present, with rare exceptions, do not have the legal instruments corresponding to these differences in status;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas in 2015 most migrants came from Asia (104 million) and whereas that continent added more international migrants between 2010 and 2015 than all the others; whereas 62 million international migrants are European and only 34 million are African, which places migrants from that continent in fourth place, and whereas 87% of that migration takes place within the continent of Africa;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas more and more migrants are women and children, as is an even higher proportion of refugees; whereas migrants and refugees increasingly include graduates and whereas the 'brain drain' was already estimated at 59 million in 2010; whereas Asia is the continent most affected, but Africa suffers the most because only 4% of its population consists of graduates and 31% of them migrate 1 a; _________________ 1a UN International Migration Report 2015, available under http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/p opulation/migration/publications/migratio nreport/docs/MigrationReport2015_Highl ights.pdf
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas profits from trafficking in human beings were already estimated at USD 32 billion in 2005, whereas they concerned more than 2.5 million people and whereas this trafficking has become the third most prevalent form of trafficking, exceeded only by trafficking in drugs and arms;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas conflicts and worldwide instability have caused a humanitarian crisis affecting 60 million refugees and displaced people, especially in the developing countries;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a holistic approach to migration should address the global challenges of development, world peace, human rights and climate change;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas xenophobia, discrimination and violence against migrants, anti- migrant sentiment, hate speech and hate crimes have increased perceptibly in the ACP countries;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas living conditions are deteriorating in many refugee camps in the Middle East and Africa, including from the point of view of health, and whereas the safety of refugees is often not guaranteed there, particularly in the case of vulnerable people, and most of all women and minors;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)
Recital I c (new)
Ic. whereas many developed countries, including European countries, classify funding for the reception of refugees as part of their public development aid, even if it is not of that character, including reception within their own territory, and whereas this practice adversely affects the progress of development programmes in countries in the South;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)
Recital I d (new)
Id. whereas the number of irregular migrants is difficult to assess and makes it difficult to establish indicators for their living and working conditions;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses its solidarity with people fleeing conflicts, persecution, violations of human rights and extreme poverty;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls to mind that ‘everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own’31; emphasises that the social status orand nationality of the persons concerned should in no way impinge upon a person’s right to freedom of movement and that each individual has the right to take decisions concerning migration in a dignified way; castigates states that penalise unauthorised departure from their territory and illegal migration without any legal and safe alternatives being established, and denounces the effects of statelessness on access to rights; _________________ 31 Article 13(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls that migrants should be treated as enjoying equal rights and that it must be possible to bring legal proceedings in the event of violations of their rights, which should give rise to penalties and/or compensation; is concerned about the absence of systems for monitoring and acting on violations of the rights of migrants;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the recourse to lists of safe countries which causes a threat to hang over the examination of individual applications for international protection; calls, irrespective of the circumstances, for migrants who need international protection to be identified and for their applications to be considered, while they should enjoy the appropriate guarantees with regard to non-refoulement and have access to a complaints procedure;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls attention to the specific types of violence and the particular forms of persecution to which women and young female migrants are subjected; recalls the unprecedented and ever increasing number of men, women and children who are victims of gender-based violence and rape as a weapon of war;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Recalls that women refugees and migrants are often subjected to multiple forms of discrimination and are more vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence; recalls that unaccompanied women and girls, women heads of household, pregnant women, people with disabilities and the elderly are particularly vulnerable; stresses that girls fleeing conflict and persecution are at a heightened risk of forced marriage, early child-bearing, rape, sexual and physical abuse and prostitution, even when they have reached so-called 'safe' places;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Recalls that criminal networks are taking advantage of the lack of safe ways of migrating, regional instability and conflicts and the vulnerability of women, girls and children trying to flee, in order to exploit them through trafficking and sexual exploitation;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Calls attention to the specific types of violence and the particular forms of persecution to which LGBTI migrants are subjected;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Expresses its concern about the discriminatory practices to which certain sociocultural, linguistic and religious minorities are sometimes exposed, which contribute to migrants' unequal access to rights;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b.Stresses the need to combat all forms of forced labour by migrants; denounces in particular those which affect children and condemns all forms of exploitation of them;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Expresses its concern about the impunity enjoyed by many employers in receiving countries even where they are responsible for breaches of many principles of labour law in their treatment of migrant workers; recalls that exploitation through work is often a consequence of trafficking but that it may also occur in the absence thereof; believes that any effort to eradicate labour exploitation must take the dual approach of effectively prosecuting abusive employers while protecting the victims of such exploitation;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Recalls in this connection that everybody is entitled to safe and fair working conditions which fully respect the rights of workers in accordance with international standards and instruments relating to human rights and the relevant ILO conventions;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that freedom of movement and the right to work make migrants self- sufficient and help further their integration, as does the right to a family life and family reunification; stresses that separation from family members, even when detained, exposes women and children to greater risks;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls that the right to education is a fundamental right and that migrant and refugee children must have access to it;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Reiterates that the children of migrants and refugees are entitled to special protection based on the best interests of the child, and is concernedExpresses its concern at the numerous reports and testimonies highlighting the increase in violence against migrant children, including torture and detention; recalls that migrant children are particularly vulnerable, particularly when they are unaccompanied, and that they are entitled to special protection based on the best interests of the child; calls for them to be protected in accordance with the rules of international law; is concerned in particular about difficulties in registering their birth; , which promote statelessness;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Is concerned about early or forced marriage practices to which migrant children fall victim, including to ensure the survival of family members;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Points out that resettlement under the auspices of UNHCR is a well-established humanitarian programme and useful tool for managing the orderly reception of persons in need of international protection in countries around the world; emphasises that, if resettlement is impossible for third-country nationals, all States should be encouraged to establish and implement humanitarian admission programmes;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Points out that humanitarian visas can give persons in need of international protection the option of entering a third country to seek asylum there;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls that migration and development are linked and that the fighting against poverty, inequality, the consequences of climate change and corruption is a key factor in preventing forced migration;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. RemindsCalls on states to ratify all human rights treaties and conventions, and particularly the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the EU and the most highly developed third countries to work together to open up legal channels for migration, drawing inspiration from the innovative practices employed in certain countries, in particular in order to foster the reunification of families and mobility, including for economic reasons, and to do so at all levels of government; points out that, according to many international organisations and NGOs, the opening-up of legal channels is the best way to prevent human trafficking;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Deplores the fact that humanitarian aid sent to the countries neighbouring Syria has been reduced, which has led the UNHCR to cut back food rations for refugees; calls on the EU and its Member States to be more generous towards these countries and to focus the provision of aid to refugees in third countries on basic foodstuffs, the safety of refugees and the enforcement of their fundamental rights, in particular access to healthcare and education;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the specific provisions concerning migrants, asylum seekers and displaced and stateless persons in the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) for 2014-2020; calls on the Commission to treat the protection and promotion of migrants’ rights as a new priority in the mid-term review of the human rights instrument in 2017-2018; calls on the EEAS and the Member States to honour their commitments under the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy adopted in July 2015 and to include and reinforce the human rights guarantees in all migration-related agreements, processes and programmes with third countries; stresses that all agreements and programmes should be accompanied by an independent human rights evaluation wherever possible and should be evaluated on a regular basis;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the European Union to establish guidelines, impact studies, and development and migration policy monitoring mechanisms in order to mainstream respect for human rights better into its external policy;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Encourages close cooperation on the protection of migrants’ human rights with international organisations, in particular the Council of Europe, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Regrets the failure to involve the European Parliament in the setting up of a cross-cutting approach to human rights in migration policies; regrets the lack of parliamentary oversight of the outside activities of the EU’s Frontex Agency; calls for better account to be taken of the expert reports drawn up and the data collected by the European Asylum Support Office on refugees’ country of origin when this cross-cutting approach is set up;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the importance of consulting civil society in all the EU’s external policies relating to migration and calls for migrants to be involved in this; points out that the Beijing Platform for Action highlighted the need to increase the involvement of women in conflict resolution at decision-making levels and the need for refugee, displaced and migrant women to be appropriately involved in decisions that affect them; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to build up the capacity of the national human rights institutions in third countries so that they can step up their efforts to protect the rights of migrants and combat inhuman and degrading treatment and hate speech and hate crimes directed against migrants, as set out in the Belgrade Declaration adopted by the 32 national human rights ombudsmen and institutions;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Deplores the fact that the EU and its Member States are sending more and more support, in particular financial and logistic support, to third countries’ border control services, including those of countries that do not uphold migrants’ rights;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the EU and its Member States not to make funding for the reception of refugees part of development aid, even if the refugees are being catered for in their own country;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for an appraisal of the Rabat Process, the Khartoum Process and the EU’s border externalisation policie, the EU’s border externalisation policies and the current cooperation in the area of migration with the countries concerned, including with Turkey, and for the possible implications for migrants’ rights to be highlighted; expresses serious concern at the rapidly growing number of reports that the human rights of refugees from Syria are being violated (deportation, arbitrary detention, lack of legal status); stresses that the humanitarian aid made available to Lebanon and Jordan should be increased to match the number of refugees these two countries have taken in expressed as a proportion of their own populations; stresses that all funding should be subject to regular checks and made conditional on the beneficiary upholding human rights;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for assessment and monitoring of the use made of the EUR 1.8 billion special emergency fund for Africa and the EUR 6 billion pledged under the EU- Turkey agreement;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Stresses that cooperation with third countries on migration should involve an assessment of those countries’ systems for helping migrants and asylum seekers, the support they give refugees and their ability and willingness to tackle human trafficking and smuggling; calls on the EU and its Member States to liaise more closely with countries such as Canada, which are implementing effective resettlement policies; condemns any resettlement policy that undermines development aid policies;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to present detailed and specific plans for each country in an effort to improve access to justice and healthcare for migrants in third countries, promote alternatives to the use of detention for migrants in third countries and integrate them into national human rights strategies;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Paragraph 20 d (new)
20d. stresses the need for the EU and its Member States to support the LDCs in the context of the fight against climate change, in order to prevent a worsening of poverty in those countries and an increase in the number of environmentally displaced persons;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)
Paragraph 20 e (new)
20e. Calls on the Commission and the Member States only to consider return policies which involve sending migrants back to countries where they can be received safely, in a manner entirely consistent with their fundamental and procedural rights, and, in that connection, calls for priority to be given to voluntary, not forced, returns;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the European Union to fund in third countries arrangements for protecting and looking after vulnerable persons, in particular with a view to ensuring that children and their families are protected throughout their journeys as migrants, which should involve the setting aside of special areas for children, the provision of psychological support, efforts to determine family links and the grouping together of children who are unaccompanied or separated from their families;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Fears that the EU’s external cooperation programmes with certain third countries may lead to the criminalisation, or further criminalisation, of migration if policies designed to protect migrants’ rights and open up legal, safe migration channels are not implemented properly, so that every individual enjoys the right to leave any country, including his or her own:
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the European Union to integrate data protection into agreements on sharing and exchanging information at borders and on migration routes, including by establishing ‘firewalls’ between the authorities responsible for managing immigration and all other public services, including law enforcement agencies, so that immigration services do not appear to be the accomplices of law enforcement and can carry out their task with the trust of all the persons they are required to serve;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Expresses serious concern at the ways in which the EUNAVFORMED-SOPHIA naval operation and other NATO operations could jeopardise migrants’ and refugees’ right to leave any country, right to life and right to personal safety, in particular in the absence of an alternative migration channel to the EU which is legal and safe; expresses concern, in particular, at the relevant cooperation agreements signed with third countries; emphasises that military operations should not be the focus of any holistic approach to migration, and reiterates that Operation Sophia must not divert assets already deployed in the Mediterranean from the task of saving lives at sea;