Press Releases

1 May 2013
International Workers’ Day: Migrants’ labor rights should not be compromised in times of economic crisis
On the occasion of International Workers' Day commemorating the historic struggle of workers throughout the world, PICUM launches its report, entitled "Migrants and the Right to Equal Treatment in Cyprus" and takes opportunity to call on the EU and its member states to enforce policies which ensure the labor rights of all workers, including migrant workers with irregular status. Read the press release in English, French, Spanish and Greek.

25 April 2013
Amidst a growing humanitarian crisis in Greece, new report recommends strategies to improve the situation of migrants
PICUM launches report entitled "The Silent Humanitarian Crisis in Greece: Devising Strategies to Improve the Situation of Migrants in Greece" which provides recommendendation to improve the situation of migrants. Read the press release in English, French , Spanish and Greek.

27 February 2013
Undocumented migrant children and their families face major barriers to access services in Europe
PICUM holds international conference and launches guide on realizing the rights of children and families in an irregular migration situation. Read the press release in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.

18 December 2012
International Migrants Day: Ensuring Migrants’ Rights’ in Times of Crisis.
On this important anniversary of International Migrants Day, PICUM called on the EU and its member states to reconsider policies which criminalise undocumented migrants as well as the advocates and professionals working to ensure their human rights. Read the press release in English, French and Spanish.

18 December 2012
A call on States to stop detaining migrant children
On the occasion of International Migrants Day, the Global Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children, together with its member, PICUM, calls on States to stop detaining children. Read the press release in English.

31 August 2012
Spain: A step backward in the right to health care for all
On the day before the Royal Decree Act 16/2012 amending the Foreigners Act, which would deny access to essential and preventive health care services for undocumented migrants takes effect on 1 September 2012, PICUM issued a press release reaffirming its strong condemnation of this policy change and its support to the Spanish NGOs and health care professionals who are opposing it. Read the press release in English, French and Spanish.

5 June 2012
Cyprus: False accusation confirmed. Judge drops all charges against human rights defender Doros Polycarpou.
On 5 June 2012, Doros Polycarpou, the Executive Director of Cypriot anti-racist NGO KISA, was acquitted of the charge of rioting during the 2010 Rainbow Festival in Larnaca. This decision is final and is not open for appeal. The judge found the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses to be not credible.This ruling confirms the view of a wide coalition of international NGOs: the accusations were manifestly false and represented only the most recent in a series of attempts by the Cypriot authorities to silence KISA, an organisation that has being fighting xenophobia and racism in Cyprus for 14 years. Read the press release in English

2 May 2012
Coalition mantains its support to human rights defender Doros Polykarpou as procedings go on
On 30 April 2012, after the Judge decided that there is a prima facie case for rioting, against DorosPolycarpou, KISA’s Executive Director, following the tragic events that took place at the 2010Rainbow Festival in Larnaca, Cyprus, proceedings go on.
Read the press release in English and French

13 December 2011

Second Trial Observation Mission in Cyprus
On the occasion of the first hearing of the trial against Doros Polykarpou, Executive Director of KISA (Action for Equality, Support and Anti-racism), scheduled on 12 December 2011, in Larnaca, Cyprus, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), The European Network Against Racism (ENAR), Migreurop and The European Association for Human Rights (AEDH) have sent a second trial observation mission. Several meetings had been arranged with the competent Cypriot authorities to express our on-going concern regarding the criminalisation of Mr Polycarpou, accused of rioting during the Rainbow Festival 2010 in Larnaca, accusations which the delegation believes are unfounded.
The delegation profoundly regrets that the hearing was postponed for unclear reasons. It is also regrettable that several meetings with the responsible authorities were cancelled at the last minute, which questions the willingness of the authorities to cooperate on the issue. Read the press release in English and French.

25 November 2011
Survivors of Violence, Victims in Silence?
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2011: Time to reclaim undocumented migrant women’s rights. On this important anniversary, PICUM calls on the EU and its member states to renew their efforts to fight all forms and expressions of gender-based violence and to protect all victims without discrimination. The worrying culture of impunity existing in the European Union must urgently be addressed. As the largest network of organisations working with undocumented migrants in Europe, PICUM has identified many legal and structural barriers that prevent undocumented women from accessing essential rights and services. Denied a legal income, lacking protection in the workplace, and often living in insecure and unsafe situations, undocumented women are more exposed to ill-treatment. Add to this, the risk of deportation if they contact the police, difficulty to access to women’s shelters, legal and financial assistance for victims of violence, and it becomes clear that certain women are unprotected against violence in Europe. View the press release in English, French and Spanish.

1 September 2011
1st September: Not all children can go back to school
Today, on 1st September, as children go back to school, many undocumented children remain at home. While no EU member state explicitly bars undocumented children from registering in school, numerous barriers exist which effectively prevent them from attending. With this in mind, PICUM welcomes the Council of Europe Committee of Migration, Refugees and Population’s forthcoming report on the situation on undocumented children in Europe, which highlights these issues, as well as obstacles to children’s access to their rights to housing and health care, and concerns about detention and exploitation in the area of work. During the upcoming October 2011 Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe plenary session, PICUM and the Committee of Migration, Refugees and Population will hold a hearing on 4 October 2011 in Strasbourg to present testimonies about concrete situations faced by undocumented children. View the press release in English , French and Spanish.

22 July 2011
Trial Observation Mission in Cyprus: Four International NGOs Urge Cypriot Authorities to Drop Charges against Human Rights Defender Doros Polykarpou
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), The European Network Against Racism (ENAR), and Migreurop are deeply concerned with the Cypriot authorities’ prosecution of Mr. Doros Polykarpou, the Executive Director of Action for Support, Equality, Antiracism (KISA).For this reason, we have sent a delegation to observe the second hearing of the trial against Doros Polykarpou that took place today, 22 July 2011, in Larnaca, Cyprus. The delegation was there to ensure that Mr Polykarpou was given a free and fair trial. Although the trial was postponed to 12 September 2011 due to lack of detailed information about the criminal charges, the delegation welcomes the decision of the judge in requesting such information. View the press release in English or French.

8 March 2011
100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day Marks Day of Action for Exploited and Abused Undocumented Migrant Women in Europe
On the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day, PICUM brings together the voices of more than 100 migrant women, NGOs, trade unions, and governmental officials from across Europe to highlight how undocumented migrant women working in Europe’s households are often denied the most basic protections from exploitation and abuse with the release of its report “Violence and Exploitation of Undocumented Migrant Women: Building Strategies to End Impunity”. Click here

2 March 2011
Public intervention for migrant workers in hunger strike in Greece
Public intervention by i-RED, RED European Network combating racism & xenophobia, the Greek Forum of Migrants, PICUM and the Migrants' Rights Network (MRN) proposing key actions to be taken by the Greek Government and the hunger strikers and their supporters to tackle the current impasse after more than a month of hunger strike by migrants and asylum seekers in Athens and Thessaloníki in Greece and urging the to take key actions. Click here

9 December 2010
9 EU countries do not guarantee access to health care for undocumented pregnant women and children
On the eve of Human Rights Day, a joint press released was published by Médecins du Monde, the HUMA network, the Platform for International Cooperationon Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), the European Women's Lobby (EWL) and the European Anti-PovertyNetwork (EAPN) following an Public Hearing at the European Parliament held on 8 December 2010 in Brussels which noted that how undocumented migrants – especially undocumented pregnant women and children – are threatened by both legislative and practical barriers when trying to access health care. EN FR ES

16 November 2010
Racist attacks in Cyprus: national authorities mustput a stop to the criminalization of undocumented migrants and their supporters
PICUM and the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) published a joint press release to express their deep concern regarding a violent attack against the participants of the 13th Rainbow Festival which took place in Larnaca, Cyprus on 5th November and which is organised by KISA, a migrant support organisation which is a member of the European networks PICUMand ENAR. EN EL

30 November 2009
Reliability instead of ‘number games’: Final results of an EU-funded Research Project on Irregular Migration in Europe
Press release on the European research project Clandestino, in which PICUM was a partner along with the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), the Center for International Relations, Warsaw, the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI), the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Click here

4 February 2009Employers’ sanctions directive: Migrant workers, not employers, will pay the price of their exploitation
Joint Statement by ENAR, PICUM, Solidar and the European Women's Lobby on the ratification of the employer sanctions directive in the European Parliament. EN FR

15 April 2008
Employers’ Sanctions Directive: Will migrant workers pay the price of their exploitation?
Joint statement of PICUM, ENAR and Solidar entitled 'Employers' Sanctions Directive: Will migrant workers pay the price of their exploitation?' Click here

January 2008
Health care in NowHereLand improving services for undocumented migrants in the EU
Press release on project "NowhereLand" co-financed by the European Commission’s Programme for Community Action in the field of public health (2003 – 2008), the Commission's DG Sanco and the Barrow Cadbury Trust, which aims at improving access to health care services for undocumented migrants. Click here

17 December 2007
International Migrants’ Day: time to make rights a reality!
Joint statement of PICUM, ENAR and Solidar entitled 'International Migrants' Day: time to make rights a reality!' click here

29 June 2007
No human being should go to hospital only to die: The need for improving access to health care for undocumented migrants in Europe
Press release entitled 'No human being should go to hospital only to die: The need for improving access to health care for undocumented migrants in Europe' Click here

15 September 2006
Will undocumented migrants continue to be invisible in the new national action plans on social inclusion, health and pensions for 2006-2008?
Press release entitled 'Will undocumented migrants continue to be invisible in the new national action plans on social inclusion, health and pensions for 2006-2008?' Click here

On the occasion of International Workers' Day commemorating the historic struggle of workers throughout the world, PICUM calls on the EU and its member states to enforce
policies which ensure the labor rights of all workers, including migrant workers with irregular status.