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Due to lack of far-sighted and
courageous European and National migration
policies - our cities are seeing increasing
numbers of migrants, who - having lost any hope
- survives
on detention camps or on the streets
in situations of extreme poverty,
discrimination and exclusion, with dramatic
consequences for health and mental health. This
worsening situation has also negative
consequences for those who works with migrants,
and for local population that lives in permanent
Migrants are coming from many
traumatic experiences and circumstances in their
native
country, including
Migrants in order to
support their families are forced to
•
submit to all the kinds of pressures and exploitation ,
accept all kinds of jobs, even though
they may have the training and education
for much better ones.
The exploitation of migrant seasonal workers
without work permits is a new form of
colonialism and slavery.
Vulnerability : exposure to
traumatic conditions in one's own country,
coupled with new and local difficulties:
acculturation – integration
…. (in many instances it means: abandonnement of
one's own identity in order to be
acceptable)
can lead to serious and long-lasting
psychological and behavioural problems,
including :
Migration as a social phenomenon has always
existed and it will exist .
BUT, today millions of refugees and migrants
flee persecution, armed conflict, poverty or
natural disasters in their homeland where they
can no longer find safety and security. Tens of
thousands finds their way to Europe each year
seeking protection and assistance.
Due to lack of far-sighted and
courageous European and National migration
policies - our cities are seeing increasing
numbers of migrants surviving in situations of
extreme poverty, discrimination and exclusion,
with dramatic consequences for health and mental
health. This worsening situation has also
negative consequences for those who works with
migrants, and for local population that lives in
permanent contact with them.
In
European metropolis the phenomenon of
homeless people are increasing and
becomes also more and more visible.
Recently, it is growing the
number of
migrants between the homeless,
having lost any hope,
who survives in shelters, squats, detention
camps or on the streets in situations of extreme
poverty, discrimination and exclusion, with
dramatic consequences for health and mental
health.
SMES-Europa, has already proposed
this topic for last 10th conference (Rome
23-25/01/2008),
'Migrants - Health & Dignity: integration
& participation in citizenship' but
following the particular interest among the
participants and workers in this field and
especially in reason of increasing of social and
health problems linked with the social
phenomenon of migrants homeless
on the streets, on the shelters and on the
detention and passage camps, we proposes to
deepen this theme Health and Dignity of
Migrants and to dedicate a specific
seminar that will be organised in Malta on 2009.
Daily practice without reflection, discussion,
evaluation and proposals of absolute priorities
runs the risk of being reduced to the individual
charitable assistance, without a real impact in
social and health policy.
MENTAL HEALTH & SOCIAL EXCLUSION
Excepting
some obvious differences
main characteristics are common to
migrants and homeless (European and international, with
or without documents) who are in situation of severe
exclusion :
a) subjective
characteristics
·
extreme poverty, precariousness
and vulnerability;
·
unbelonging,
loss of personal identity;
·
complexity of social, sanitary
and psychic needs;
·
trauma and loss, surviving
without hope for the future;
·
failure and loneliness
b) objective
characteristics
-
tigma and discrimination, inadequate
response to person with the complex
needs;
-
myopia of migration policy;
-
submission to the requirements of the
labor 'market' – whether in regular or
black job;
-
absolute lack of positive awareness
and involvement of the civil society;
-
incoherence of
legislations with fundamental rights,
humanism, ethic;
-
selective picture presented by media,
almost exclusively focusing on the awful and
scandalous;
-
incoherence of
legislations with fundamental rights,
humanism, ethic.
-
selective picture presented by media,
almost exclusively focusing on the awful and
scandalous;
c) the workers in the field of the
severe exclusion,
are frequently working in the
conditions of emergency and stress, requested to find
immediate, if not global and
integrated answers.
In this context the workers are often
confronted with :
·
relinquishing of responsibility
by political bodies delegating action to
charitable associations
·
conflict between
administrative-legislative dispositions, ethical
code, and professional deontology
·
incoherence between action plans,
programs and insufficiency of resources
·
frustrating role of being able to
offer mere charitable assistance, with an
obvious risk of burnout
d) OUR
CHALLENGE : to work together, exchange to change !
UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS
cf
new
slavery !
Due to lack of far-sighted and
courageous European and National migration
policies - our cities are seeing increasing
numbers of migrants, who - having lost any hope
- survives
on detention camps or on the streets
in situations of extreme poverty,
discrimination and exclusion, with dramatic
consequences for health and mental health. This
worsening situation has also negative
consequences for those who works with migrants,
and for local population that lives in permanent
Migrants are coming from many
traumatic experiences and circumstances in
their native country, including
Migrants in order to
support their families are forced to
•
submit to all the kinds of pressures and exploitation ,
•
accept all kinds of jobs, even though they may have the
training and education for much better ones.
The exploitation of migrant seasonal workers
without work permits is a new form
of colonialisme and slavery.
Vulnerability : exposure to
traumatic conditions in one's own country,
coupled
with new and local difficulties:
acculturation – integration
…. (in many instances
it means: abandonnement of one's own identity in order to be
acceptable)
can lead
to serious and long-lasting psychological and behavioural
problems, including :
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