New publication on immigration detention of children
The Inter-Agency Working Group to End Child Immigration Detention has published a brochure outlining the use of immigration detention of children, the harmful impacts it has on children, the [...]
Alison Des Forges Award, Woman of Courage and Solidar Silver Rose Award – PICUM members are given recognition for their work
Several PICUM members have recently been recognised for their work through awards. Yonous Muhammadi, President of the Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR), received the Alison Des Forges Award [...]
PICUM ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2016: HOPE AND COMMITMENT IN POLARISED DEBATE
By Elisabeth Schmidt-Hieber, PICUM Communications Officer. A fear-mongering rhetoric linking undocumented migrants to criminal activities and security threats, is fueling policies aiming to deter [...]
EU referendum: the fight for migrants’ rights goes on
By Carolina Gottardo, Director of the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) and former PICUM board member. This blog was originally published by Migrant Right’s Network on 26 June [...]
Reject dangerous migration response plan, more than 100 NGOs tell EU leaders
27 June 2016 – The European Union is set to open a dark chapter in its history unless it rejects the European Commission’s proposal on migration, a coalition of more than 130 NGOs warned on [...]
PICUM Expert Roundtable: Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services as Part of the Right to Health Care
By Tara Ohl, PICUM Trainee and Alyna Smith, PICUM Advocacy Officer Among the obstacles undocumented migrants face in realising their fundamental rights are the multiple barriers to access health [...]
EU Alliance on Investing in Children welcomes Council conclusions and encourages more action and investment in all children
On June 17 2016, The EU Alliance on Investing in Children released a joint statement welcoming the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Affairs (EPSCO) Council Conclusions on [...]
PICUM Annual Report 2015 published
On the occasion of its Annual General Assembly on 10 June 2016, PICUM published its Annual Report for the year 2015. The report provides an overview of major achievements over the course of the [...]
Unlocking Detention – A ‘virtual tour’ of the UK’s immigration detention estate
By Eiri Ohtani, Project Director, Detention Forum, UK. How do you explain immigration detention to people who have never been to any detention centres? This was the starting point of Detention [...]
European Parliament Conference on Labour Migration
The Greens – European Free Alliance will host a conference on 31 May 2016, entitled “Overcoming legal barriers: A Green Seminar on Migration.” When: 31 May 2016, 12:30 to 15:00 Where: European [...]
LABOUR DAY: EU CAN MEET SOCIAL TARGETS BY ENFORCING MIGRANT WORKERS’ RIGHTS
BRUSSELS, 29 April 2016 – Ahead of International Labour Day, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) urges the EU and governments to enforce labour rights for [...]
Undocumented and Coming of Age: What lessons can Europe draw from the USA?
By Pauline Chomel (PICUM intern), And Lilana Keith (PICUM Advocacy Officer). What are the daily realities of undocumented migrant youth coming of age? What challenges do their face in their [...]
WORLD HEALTH DAY: UPHOLD UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS’ SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS
BRUSSELS, 7 April 2016 – On the occasion of World Health Day, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) urges governments to change legislation and [...]
International Day Against Racism: Walk Against Discrimination in Athens
On the occasion of the International Day to Eliminate Racial Discrimination, a group of Greek civil society organisations supported by several European NGO networks organises a march in Athens to [...]
PICUM Letter to President of the European Council, Donald Tusk
Dear President Tusk, I am writing to you as the representative of over 140 organisations – active in preventing discrimination, exploitation and violence against undocumented migrants in more [...]
On International Women’s Day: End violence against all women, regardless of migration status
This International Women’s Day, March 8th, is celebrated during a period of intense global movement of migrants and refugees — and corresponding levels of racial and xenophobic hostility as well [...]
PICUM Task Force on Legal Strategies Discusses Access to Justice and Redress Mechanisms for Undocumented Migrant
By Maria Giovanna Manieri, PICUM Programme Officer. PICUM held the fourth meeting of its Task Force on Legal Strategies in Brussels on 3 December 2015. At the meeting, participants were asked to [...]
International Migrants’ Day – Changing the Narrative
By Michele LeVoy, PICUM Director. Dear colleagues and friends, Today we commemorate International Migrants’ Day, and at the same time, a year comes to an end in which irregular migration has [...]
Undocumented Migrants and the Europe 2020 Strategy: Making Social Inclusion a Reality for all Migrants in Europe
The EU has set itself social targets through the Europe2020 Strategy including investment in employment and education, improved social inclusion and substantial reduction of poverty. Migrants, [...]
Bad news for UK government – Labour exploitation is rising and its anti-slavery measures are currently falling well short
By Don Flynn, Director Migrants’ Rights Network and PICUM Chair. This blog was first published by Migrants’ Rights Network on 2 November 2015. Victims of exploitative employers or [...]
VICTIMS’ RIGHTS: GOVERNMENTS SHOULD IMPLEMENT FRAMEWORK TO ENSURE PROTECTION AND JUSTICE FOR UNDOCUMENTED VICTIMS OF CRIME
BRUSSELS, 16 November 2015 – On the occasion of the deadline for EU member states to transpose the EU Victims’ Directive*, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented [...]
New Guide and Toolkit on How to Use the EU Victims’ Directive
PICUM has published a Guide to the EU Victims’ Directive together with a toolkit in English, French and Spanish with resources for members and partners, to inform and to inspire action to [...]
Joint open letter to the European Council
Over the past few months, several European Council as well as Justice and Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Council meetings have been convened to discuss and develop immediate responses and [...]
On eve of international forum on migration and development advocates call for humane treatment and guaranteed rights for all migrants and refugees
ISTANBUL, TURKEY—Meeting in Istanbul on the eve of the intergovernmental Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Women and Global Migration Working Group (WGMWG) will urge greater [...]
Why we need to talk about ‘migrants’
By Elisabeth Schmidt-Hieber, PICUM Communications Officer, And Lilana Keith, PICUM Interim Programmes Director. This blog was first published by La Strada International, Newsletter Issue 38, [...]
LOCAL AUTHORITIES, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND NGOS CALL ON GERMAN GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE LAW ON REPORTING UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, 2 October 2015 – As Germany has been cast in a favourable light in recent weeks on the EU level due to its increased commitment to welcome migrants and refugees seeking [...]
EU RESPONSE TO MIGRATION: TURN POLITICAL CRISIS INTO OPPORTUNITY
BRUSSELS, 11 September 2015 – On the occasion of the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting taking place in Brussels on 14 September, where ministers will discuss measures [...]
Report: Cost of exclusion from healthcare – The case of migrants in an irregular situation
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released its new report “Cost of exclusion from healthcare – The case of migrants in an irregular situation” on 3 September 2015. The report [...]
Migrant crisis: Inept leaders lay foundations of future unrest
By Edel McGinley, Director of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) and member of the board of PICUM. This article first appeared in the Irish Examiner on 24 August 2015 Making the hazardous [...]
PICUM Annual Workshop: Challenging Criminalisation of Undocumented Migrants
By Elisabeth Schmidt-Hieber, PICUM Communications Officer. Images of migrants sleeping in tents alongside an imposing line of police cars in Calais, France; an airport security x-ray in Ceuta [...]
The gaps in EU policies on migration, trafficking and victims’ protection
By Cécilia Rolland, And Kadri Soova. Following the launch of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report “Severe labour exploitation: workers moving within or into the European Union. [...]
Greece: Social Europe hanging in the balance
As a member of the Social Platform, PICUM signed on to a letter on 9 July 2015 addressed to heads of states and governments, the President of the European Council, the Presidents of the European [...]
Restricting access to the NHS for undocumented migrants is bad policy at high cost
By Lilana Keith, PICUM And Ewout van Ginneken, Berlin University of Technology. This article was first published by BMJ on 16 June 2015. The shocking loss of life among migrants crossing the [...]
PICUM Terminology Leaflet Available in French, German and Spanish
PICUM published its leaflet advocating to end the use of the term ‘illegal migrant’ in French, German and Spanish. The leaflet is the key resource of PICUM’s ‘Words Matter’ campaign and provides [...]
Open letter to the EU Ministers of Health
Ahead of the meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on 19 June in Luxembourg, a group of organisations including Doctors of the World – Médecins du [...]
PICUM Annual Report 2014
PICUM published its Annual Report 2014 on the occasion of the Annual General Assembly on 13 June 2015 in Brussels. Major highlights of PICUM’s work in 2014 included the PICUM Director, Michele [...]
Report: Zero tolerance for severe forms of labour exploitation needed
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) launched the report “Severe labour exploitation: workers moving within or into the European Union. States’ obligations and victims’ rights” on 2 June [...]
Publication: Human Rights Indicators for Migrants and their Families
KNOMAD’s Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Migrant Rights and Social Aspects of Migration has published a paper entitled ‘Human Rights Indicators for Migrants and their Families’, authored by Pablo [...]
International Labour Day: Employers’ Sanctions do not Protect Undocumented Workers from Exploitation
On the occasion of International Labour Day, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) calls for political commitment to effectively address the persistent and [...]
WILL EU RESPONSE TO MIGRANTS DYING IN THE SEA STRENGTHEN OR WORSEN HUMAN RIGHTS?
The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) is extremely concerned that a statement agreed by the European Council on 23 April in response to record numbers of [...]
PICUM Publishes Position Paper on ‘EU Return Directive’ Following First Working Group Meeting on EU Migration Policies
By Maria Giovanna Manieri, PICUM Programme Officer. Following the unprecedented loss of an estimated 1,600 migrant lives in the Mediterranean in the first months of this year, heads of EU [...]
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is launching the Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has launched the Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children during an event in Strasbourg from 20 to 21 April 2015. The campaign [...]
Global Mobilisation for Migrant Rights, 1 May 2015
A group of migrants’ rights organisations has launched a campaign to promote a global mobilisation to support migrants’ rights on 1 May 2015 in the context of the celebration of the [...]
Implementation Handbook Published on How to Put Recommendation of the European Commission into Practice
The EU Alliance for Investing in Children published on 1 April 2015 its “Implementation Handbook – Putting the Investing in Children Recommendation into Practice”. The handbook which was launched [...]
Protecting undocumented children: Promising policies and practices from governments
PICUM launched a new report entitled “Protecting undocumented children: Promising policies and practices from governments” on 19 March 2015. The report gathers several examples of practices by [...]
Side Event at the 28th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Migrants in an Irregular Situation The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the [...]
Migrants in the Mediterranean: mourning deaths, not saving lives
By Maria Giovanna Manieri and Elisabeth Schmidt-Hieber. This article was first published by OpenSecurity on 23 February 2015. For as long as the humanitarian impulse to rescue the desperate and [...]
‘Istanbul Convention’ – How Civil Society Can Engage in the Monitoring Process
By Eve Geddie, PICUM Programmes Director. The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) has great potential to [...]
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants discussing policy developments in Brussels
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, visited Brussels from 2 to 5 February 2015 as follow-up of his study on the management of the external [...]
PICUM Working Group on Access to Health Care for Undocumented Migrants
By Lilana Keith, PICUM Programme Officer. Focus on: children’s health, local and regional service provision and strategies for the UK How can we drive change at EU and national level so that all [...]
