Migration - December 2004

Managing Migration

International Organization for Migration December 2004

MIGRATION

Managing Migration

Migration is availableonline on the IOM website:

http://www.iom.int

Editor in Chief:Jean Philippe Chauzy

Editors:Niurka Piñeiro Christopher Lom

Contributors:IOM Staff worldwide

Editorial Board:Gervais Appave, LaurentiuCiobanica, Jill Helke, Michele KleinSolomon, Frank Laczko, RudiMaxwald, Robert Paiva, YorioTanimura, Erica Usher

Layout:Angela Pedersen

Cover photo:© IOM 2002(Photo: Zalmai Karim Ahad)

Migration is published quarterly inEnglish, French and Spanish.All correspondence and inquiries concerning Migration should besent to:

International Organizationfor MigrationPO box 71CH 1211 Geneva 19 SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 717 91 11Fax: +41 22 798 61 50E-mail: [email protected]

IOM is committed to the principlethat humane and orderly migrationbenefits migrants and society. Asan intergovernmental organization,IOM acts with its partners in theinternational community to: assistin meeting the operational chal-lenges of migration; advance under-standing of migration issues;encourage social and economicdevelopment through migration;and uphold the human dignity andwell-being of migrants.

ISSN 1813-2839

Contents

Migration and Development

“A Dream Come True”

Facilitating Migration

Successful Migration: All Within Your Power to Choose

Regulating Migration

Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration: A Sustainable Return Home

Forced Migration

The Largest Ever Out of Country Voting in 78 Days

Cross-cutting Activities

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An IOM storeman prepares registration and election materials.

For more information on Out of Country Registration and Voting forAfghan refugees residing in Pakistan and Iran, please turn to page 19.

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Editorial

3Migration•December 2004

In recent years, migration has beenmaking its way steadily to the top ofthe international agenda, and nowcalls insistently and urgently for theattention of all governments, regard-less of their past involvement or inter-est in the management of migratoryprocesses.

Migratory flows today are morediverse and complex, with more tem-porary and circular migration. Worlddemographics, economic, politicaland social trends mean that govern-ments and societies will need to putmore emphasis on migration manage-ment in all of its dimensions.

If properly managed, migration can be beneficial for all states andsocieties. If left unmanaged, it canlead to the exploitation of individualmigrants, particularly through humantrafficking and migrant smuggling,and be a source of social tension,insecurity and bad relations betweennations.

Effective management is requiredto maximize the positive effects ofmigration and minimize potentiallynegative consequences. It is essentialto establish orderly and safe migrationopportunities while ensuring respectfor the integrity of national, sovereignborders. Migration managementstrategies need to result in the imple-mentation of policies; laws and regu-lations that take into account therights and obligations of migrants aswell as the social and economic inter-

ests of nations and responsibilities ofgovernments.

Over the past decades governmentshave tended to focus on isolated ele-ments of migration and have thusdeveloped ad-hoc strategies to suittheir particular needs and to protecttheir interests. For some, labourmigration needs have predominated,for others asylum has been the mainconcern. However, to be effective,migration management strategiesneed to address migration in a com-prehensive manner. Governmentsover the past decades have tended tofocus on isolated elements of migra-tion. The challenge today is to shiftfrom an isolated and largely in-effective focus to more meaningful,constructive and comprehensiveapproaches.

At the same time, it is necessary toidentify, define and address the funda-mental policy issues in the migrationdebate. This is a tall assignment, sincethe migratory landscape is complexand rapidly evolving, with challengesemerging at every step of the way.

Most governments are just begin-ning to develop coherent and com-prehensive migration managementstrategies. There is still a need to bet-ter understand migration interests andpriorities and to develop a commonmigration language. Regular dialoguebetween governments that allows anexchange of experience and thedevelopment of new initiatives andapproaches to migration managementis therefore essential.

To support and facilitate IOM’sactivities in the field of migration

management, IOM has developed ananalytical chart, known as the four-box chart, mapping out the essentialfeatures of the migration managementlandscape. It illustrates the range andcomplexity of migration and identifiesthe four principal areas for migrationmanagement: migration and develop-ment, facilitating migration, regulat-ing migration and forced migration.Each has its own parameters and chal-lenges, but effective management ofinternational migration cannot beachieved through selective attentionto specific policy elements in isola-tion.

Important cross-cutting issues suchas the protection of rights, gender,health, public information, as well asregional and international coopera-tion, which are inherent to every areaof migration management, also needto be addressed.

The four-box chart thus helps toillustrate at a glance the componentsof a comprehensive migration man-agement strategy and its challenges.It is designed to stimulate discussionand exchange of ideas.

This issue of Migration is devotedto the realities and challenges in eachof the four main areas of migrationmanagement, and to provide aninsight into relevant IOM policyapproaches and activities.

Brunson McKinley

Director General

Managing Migration:The “Four-box Chart”

Managing Migration•Four-box Chart4

Develop

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Migration5Migration•December 2004 5

Migration andDevelopment

In addition, remittances sent homeby migrants can be used to sustaindevelopment. The challenge is todevelop mechanisms to mitigate asmuch as possible the negative effectsof “brain drain” and to encourage thereturn of qualified nationals resultingin “brain gain”.

It should also be noted that in aglobalized world, migration is increas-ingly circular. While many migrantsstill make a permanent move withtheir families, an increasing propor-tion of migratory movements aretemporary in nature. Increasingly,countries of origin expect migrants tomaintain financial, cultural and some-times political links with their homecountry, which may be difficult toreconcile with the expectation formigrants to integrate, on the part ofthe host country.

In order to benefit from remit-tances, skills transfer and investmentopportunities, it is necessary to createand maintain links between migrantsand their countries of origin, and totap into their potential by encouragingthem to contribute human and finan-cial capital to the development oftheir home communities.

Through advances in communi-cations technology and the decline intravel costs, globalization has made iteasier for migrants to stay in contactwith their country of origin and toestablish lasting links with diasporasand transnational networks.

In the past, states and the inter-national community formulated andimplemented separate policies onpoverty reduction, globalization,security, refugees and migration, withsometimes different or even conflict-ing objectives.

Better results can be achieved byconsidering the close inter-relation-ship between migration and develop-ment on national and internationallevels through coherent and coordin-ated development and migrationpolices, and between humanitarianassistance and development assist-ance. Migration policies dealing withthe migration-development nexusinclude facilitating voluntary returnand reintegration, either temporary orpermanent, particularly of the highlyskilled. Other policies address thetransfer of remittances, the reductionof transfer costs and investment in thecountry of origin by diasporas andreturning migrants.

It is also necessary to promote andenhance dialogue and cooperation atthe national level between differentgovernment agencies as well as at theinternational level. The aim is toensure that migration contributes tosustainable development, and that in turn development endeavours tocontribute to the management ofmigration.

Convinced that international migra-tion has the potential to contribute tosustainable development throughremittances, investment, skills transfer,brain circulation and diaspora net-works, IOM engages in promotinginternational policy dialogue on themigration-development nexus amongall stakeholders in migration.

Programme activities of IOMinclude, in particular, improving remit-tance management, building humancapital through labour migration pro-grammes, return and reintegration ofqualified nationals, capacity buildingfor governments, and the empower-ment of migrant women.

Migration and development is agrowing area of interest. There hasbeen much debate on the negativeimpacts of migration on development,and vice-versa. On the one hand, it isargued that underdevelopment is acause of migration, and on the other,that migration causes developingcountries to lose their highly skillednationals.

While there is a measure of truth ineach of these assertions, properlymanaged international migrationholds enormous potential for thedevelopment of countries. Remit-tances have become a prominentsource of external funding for devel-oping countries that surpass officialdevelopment assistance. In 2003,over US$100 billion were sent homein remittances by migrants, helping tosustain the economies of many devel-oping countries.1 The total amount ofresources remitted may even be twoor three times higher, since a largenumber of transactions are carried outthrough informal channels. Migrationcan thus contribute to the reduction ofpoverty at the local and nationallevel, and to a reduction in the eco-nomic vulnerability of developingcountries.

Migration may be detrimental tothe community of origin if the labourmarket is depleted by the departure ofits most productive and/or qualifiedmembers (“brain drain”). However,migrants who have developed andimproved their skills abroad can beactors of the “brain gain” by transfer-ring and infusing knowledge, skillsand technology into their countries oforigin.

1. Global Development Finance, Striving for Stability in Development Finance, The World Bank 2003. See also IOM News September.

Ghan

Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA)•Ghana6

I am a 42-year-old man who hailsfrom Ghana, West Africa. I am mar-ried with five children, all residing inItaly. I immigrated to Italy in 1988because of the very difficult economicand political conditions in Ghana atthat time. My first port of call in Italywas Naples where I worked as a farmhand in a tomato field for a year.

In 1990, thanks to the “LeggeMartelli”,1 I was able to regularizemy stay. I subsequently left for ReggioEmilia in northern Italy where Iworked in a chicken slaughterhousefor six years. During that time I joinedone of Italy’s main trade unions, theCGIL and was put in charge of immi-grants’ affairs.

I have always kept in touch withmy family back home, remittingmoney and sending various goods.Because I always had the intention ofreturning home, I had a house built inthe capital Accra. I also had an over-all burning ambition to set up a busi-ness in Ghana that would offer jobs toless privileged compatriots.

And in August 2003 I received atelephone call from IOM’s MIDAcoordinator in Rome inviting me totake part in a roundtable on migrationand development. I really felt thiswas a God sent opportunity, which Iand many other fellow Africans havebeen yearning for. We were being

given the support needed to set upviable enterprises back home.

I was selected among numerousapplicants as a beneficiary for MIDAassistance, based on the Governmentof Ghana’s identification of agribusi-ness as a priority sector. I put togethera business plan that was reviewed andapproved by IOM offices in Rome andAccra, and invested some 7,000 Eurosto get the business off the ground; thisamount was matched by the MIDAprogramme.

I then went to Ghana to finalizearrangements for the disbursement offunds in order to begin the project.

Two hundred acres of arable landwere leased from the Chief and eldersof a village called Simbrofo inGhana’s Central Region. All custom-

ary and traditional rites as well aslandpapers were processed by IOMbefore we started cultivating theland.

An initial 50 acres have beenearmarked for maize and cassavacultivation for the first crop-farmingseason. Cultivation started in earnestand this was done within the bestmodern agriculture practice possible.The project employs 15 villagers whoare directly benefiting from the newproject.

The support of the village Chiefand elders has been phenomenal.The young, dynamic and energeticChief of Simbrofo, who has travelledand lived in most countries inEurope, was so enthusiastic that heorganized an event with pomp andpageantry to launch the project.

“A Dream Come True”

1. Legge Martelli: a law that allowedirregular migrants to apply for regular-ization.

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This is undoubtedly a long-termproject. The remaining 150 acres willbe cultivated within the next twofarming seasons; the proceeds fromthe cultivation of the first 50 acres willbe invested in the purchase of moremachinery and farm managementtraining for the employees. We alsoneed to set up an appropriate irriga-tion system to farm all year round.

I believe that the assistance offeredby IOM MIDA, if sustained, will go along way in helping Ghana to turnaround. This programme will furtherenhance the creation of jobs andboost food production and provideraw materials for industries. It willalso fit perfectly well into theGovernment of Ghana’s policy“Golden Age of Business”.2 The polit-ical implication of MIDA’s funding ofthese projects cannot be overempha-sized.

I am most grateful to IOM MIDAItaly for the opportunity offered; itrepresents a new and viable approachto involve immigrants as developmentpartners for Africa’s growth. I believethat for the African continent to de-velop, Africans must take a leadingrole, and this is exactly the spirit ofMIDA.

Thank you and God bless you.

Joseph Walker

IOM’s Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) programme seeks to mobilize competencies in the African diaspora toensure African nationals directly contribute to the development of their countries of origin.

The overall objective of MIDA is to assist in strengthening the institutional capacities of African governments to manageand realize their development goals through the transfer of relevant skills, financial and other resources of Africans in the dias-pora for use in development programmes in Africa.

MIDA also aims at strengthening the private sector in the countries of origin, with the contribution of the nationals in thediaspora, through the establishment of small and medium enterprises and job-creation opportunities.

Since the launch in late 2001 of a pilot project covering the Great Lakes region with funds made available by the Belgiangovernment, other projects have followed, notably in Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia with the involvement of otherEuropean partners, such as Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. So far, 164 persons haveparticipated in the MIDA programme.

2. The Government of Ghana’s “GoldenAge of Business” is a strategy that setsout a course for the government tofacilitate private sector development inGhana. For more details visit: http://www.giacghana.org/docs/PSD%20Strategy%20-%20Strategy%20_Final_Vol.1.pdf

Opposite: The MIDA project employs 15 villagers who directly benefit from cassava cultivation.

Top: IOM staff meet Chief and elders in the village of Simbrofo.

Above: Cassava processing plant north of Accra. Ghana has identified agribusiness as a priority sector.

© IOM 2004

MigrationFacilitat

Facilitating Migration8

Facilitating Migration

Today’s mobile world depends on theability of workers, professionals, stu-dents, trainees, families, tourists andothers to move safely and efficientlybetween countries with minimal delayand with proper authorization.

With globalization – the dramaticexpansion of cross-border trade andinvestment – has come an upsurge ininternational labour mobility. Fallingcosts of transportation and communi-cation have reduced the distancesbetween people, and the drive forbetter lives has motivated workers tomove to areas where jobs are avail-able and the pay is better.

A growing number of countries arepursuing policies to increase andfacilitate the flow of regular labourmigrants, as a response to migrationpressures, in recognition of reallabour market needs, and to servicean increasingly global economy.

The dynamism that migrants canbring to economies and societies islikely to become more important,especially as demographic trends insome countries project a sharp rise inthe demand for workers and profes-sionals because of consistently lowfertility rates in these countries.

Although demand for migrantworkers is high and supply is evenhigher, legal opportunities for labourmigration are limited. Businesseswant to recruit and move their per-sonnel globally and yet must workthrough often complicated and time-consuming governmental administra-tive structures to do so. Often, currentstructures are inadequate for the task

of rapid recruitment and movement ofworkers and professionals.

The question is how states andbusinesses will go about developingeffective mechanisms to match labourneeds with supply, and follow throughwith swift and effective integration.Concomitantly, it is necessary to pre-vent the depletion of the labour forceof source countries and the involve-ment of criminal organizations inmatching supply and demand throughsmuggling and trafficking.

Labour migrants, in particularlower-skilled individuals and theirfamilies, may find themselves placedin vulnerable situations in the countryof destination. Often they accept jobsthat nationals do not want, or performthem at lower wages and with fewersocial benefits. Efforts are needed toreduce the level of vulnerability ofthese migrants and to ensure that theirhuman rights are protected.

Beyond labour migration there isthe more general challenge of facili-tating the movement of other cate-gories of migrants such as familymembers, students and trainees.Temporary migration for business,employment, tourism, family visits,education, training, and research is anessential feature of modern life. Theeffective management of temporarymigration offers states the opportunityto channel migration in order to

address domestic needs and policypriorities. It can be used to increasenational income through foreigntourists, to meet short-term labourmarket requirements, or to handle theacquisition or improvement of skills,knowledge and resources throughtraining and work abroad.

IOM provides policy and technicaladvice to governments on the regu-lation of migrant labour and othermigratory movements. In particular, itcarries out programmes to assist gov-ernments and migrants with selectionand recruitment, language and cul-tural orientation, consular services,training, reception, integration andreturn. Each programme is comple-mented by services such as immigra-tion medial evaluations and travelassistance.

IOM’s programmes and servicescan thus reduce difficulties that maybe encountered during the migrationprocess and enhance the capacity ofmigrants to successfully integratesooner. Beyond that, IOM helps tofacilitate the implementation of exist-ing immigration programmes.

nting


Successful Migration:All Within Your Power to Choose

Maria fondly recalled the excitementof leaving for work abroad. Overseaswork was a big step towards attainingher dream of a better future, her aspir-ations for a more comfortable life – forherself and her family. She left thePhilippines with anecdotes of some ofthe harsh realities that befall Filipinomigrant workers abroad – loneliness,restricted mobility, abuse, and depriv-ation. And so she took these storieswith her as situations that she had tobe on the lookout for, not exactly

knowing how to guard herself againstthem.

Maria recounts that at the start ofher employment as a domestic helper,everything seemed okay. Not too longafter, however, the physical abusebegan. She was torn, the thoughts inher head running wild. Should sheseek help? But she would lose her joband deprive her family of monetarysupport. She couldn’t tell anyoneabout her situation, so she decided toendure the abuse. But she finallydecided to run away and returnhome.

Jonalyn has had respiratory prob-lems since she was a little girl. Butthat didn’t stop her from fulfilling herdreams of working overseas. Fullyaware of the risk of failing her medicalexaminations, she sent her sister in herstead. A clean bill of health tuckedunder her arm (actually her sister’s)Jonalyn left to work as a singer over-seas.

Her dreams became a reality –extra money for her family and betterliving conditions. And then her lungsstarted to give. She did not want totell her employer, so she decided to

Scanning the newspaper for overseas placement ads - a basic step towards realizing her dream of working abroad.

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Workers and Professionals•Philippines1010

self-medicate. Until she was flownhome in a wheelchair.

Joseph has been a seafarer for thepast ten years. His contracts obligehim to spend six months at sea, whereloneliness and homesickness arestandard emotional realities. Throughthe years, Joseph has developed acoping mechanism; occupying histime with work and more work toward off idle moments. Years of cop-ing with this type of work haveimpacted on Joseph’s perspectives inlife. He decided to quit drinkingbecause he didn’t want to lose his job.And he has vowed not to engage inrisky sexual behaviour because hedoes not want to develop any sexuallytransmitted disease.

The Philippines is one of theworld’s major migrant-sending coun-tries. Official 2003 figures show867,969 persons left the country towork abroad – out of a total popula-tion of 84 million. For the January toJune 2004 period, the deploymentcount stands at 492,285. Migration isthe dream of Filipinos, it has becomeboth a consciousness and a reality.

Given the magnitude of Philippineout-migration, Filipino migrants’ real-ities overseas, the current lack ofinformation support and access in thedestination countries, and IOM’scommitment to facilitate humane andorderly migration, the IOM office inManila has pursued an innovativeroute for positive intervention both forthe Philippine government andFilipino migrants overseas.

In 2003, IOM and the Philippinegovernment produced a video specif-ically designed to increase theempowerment of women migrantworkers. Titled The Power to Choose:Self-Defense for Women MigrantWorkers, in 45 minutes Maria’s storyfound a venue for expression, as itlikewise found an appropriate settingfor sustainable teaching and learning.The video provides tips on how toavoid and deal with abuse, inter-spersed with martial arts instructionsand basic self-defence techniques.The film’s ending depicts Maria ashaving found overseas work againafter her first unfortunate experience.This time, she leaves the Philippines

with renewed knowledge of herrights. She manifests her newfoundself-esteem from the recognition thatshe has the capacity to defend herselfand from knowing there is a supportsystem available to her.

Following this successful initialendeavour, the stories of Jonalyn andJoseph were also produced on video.For the second part of the Power toChoose series, migrants’ health issues,such as malaria, tuberculosis, hepa-titis, sexually transmitted diseases andHIV/AIDS are discussed. Its majortheme is for migrant workers toreclaim their inherent responsibility ofgoing overseas, staying, and returninghealthy. It likewise forwards a caveatthat health concerns can be counter-productive for oneself, the family, andultimately for the community.

Both Jonalyn and Joseph attest tothe importance of overseas work as ittranslates to improved family financialsituations. But in the same breath,they emphasize that good health is arequisite in the equation. The videoends with a wistful message: Havinggood health is not an expense, rather,an investment for good life andhappiness.

Produced in English, Filipino,French and Spanish, from an initial100 copies, video reproduction todate has reached 1,725 copies. Ofthese, some 40 per cent have beendistributed for use in government pre-departure orientation sessions for

Filipino women migrants, as well asother training and awareness-raisingactivities in the Philippines and else-where. Target video exposure is ataround 8,000 Filipino migrants permonth. And additional copies are inthe making, with more areas to reachworldwide – Europe, Asia, and theMiddle East – wherever there areFilipino migrants.

So often we hear of Filipinomigrants’ pronouncements that work-ing overseas in an attempt to alleviatepoverty and improve one’s chances ofa better future is like treacherouslyhanging on to the bladed portion of aknife. In colloquial lingo – kapit sapatalim – being on the brink of death.No coming back home if it means nofuture for one’s family. Working over-seas has to be successful, no matterwhat the cost.

IOM, in its 25th year of collabor-ation with the Philippine government,continues to work to transform thislong-standing and common notion ofFilipino overseas migration. IOM’smain thrust through this video series isto sustain its outreach to Filipinomigrants.

The success of your migration isrightly well within your power tochoose.

I.M. Fernandez

IOM Manila

Image captured from the video “The Power to Choose”: Joseph, hard at work at sea.

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Egypt

Wagdy’s love for Egypt can be com-pared to the Nile’s annual flood andthe 2.5 million stone blocks that shapeCheop’s pyramid. It is abundant,powerful and all enduring. But, withEgypt’s increasing economic problemsand high unemployment, he decidedto temporarily leave his belovedhomeland to work abroad.

“These days it is very difficult tofind work and earn a good salary. I’m19 and the only job I have found sofar is installing satellite dishes duringthe summer months. I have studiedItalian at the Don Bosco Institute andI’m taking computer classes. I want tosecure a better future for my familyand myself. This is why I decided to goabroad to get work experience,” hesays.

Wagdy thought about obtaining avisa through illegal means, butdecided the idea was too dangerous.“I heard so many tragic stories of peo-ple trying to reach Italy by boat, wholost all their savings, or even theirlives. And I don’t want to end up inprison and run the risk of being barredfrom foreign travel,” he observes.

The solution to Wagdy’s dilemmalay in an article on the IOM websitedescribing legal options for labourmigration from Egypt to Italy. The art-icle outlined the Integrated MigrationInformation System (IMIS), launchedby IOM and the Egyptian and Italiangovernments in June 2001 to manageregular migration flows from Egypt.

According to national estimates,some 3.5 million Egyptians currentlylive legally abroad. In Europe, Italy isthe country that experiences the high-est inflow of both legal and illegalEgyptian migrants. While the Italianauthorities believe that some 45,000Egyptians reside legally in the country,the Egyptian government estimatesthat the figure is closer to 90,000.There are no official statistics regard-ing the number of irregular migrantscurrently living and working in Italy.

Three years ago the IOM offices inCairo and Rome decided to joinefforts with the Italian and theEgyptian governments to launch apilot labour migration programmewith the aim of facilitating Egyptianmigration flows to Italy. A Memo-randum of Understanding was signedbetween the Italian Ministry of Labour

and Social Policies and the EgyptianMinistry of Manpower and Emigration(MME), and IMIS was born.

“IMIS is a great tool which allowsus to match the needs of Italiancompanies who are looking for man-power, with Egyptian nationals whoare looking for job opportunities inItaly,“ explains IOM’s IMIS ProjectManager Graziella Rizza.

Along with 481 other potentialcandidates, Wagdy applied for theprogramme at the MME’s Cairo head-quarters. IMIS’ Validation Unit, whichworks under the supervision of theMME’s External Employment Depart-ment, then assessed his application in terms of the Italian employers’ cri-teria, his age, knowledge of the Italianlanguage, work experience and com-pletion of military service.

Integrated Migration InformationSystem Matches Egyptian

Job Seekers with Italian Employers

Wagdy attends Italian language class.

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Recruitment and Placement•Egypt12

Wagdy was shortlisted and, with180 others, underwent a thoroughmedical check-up to ensure that hewas fit to work in Italy. “Our medicalscreening is based on Italian specifi-cations,” says IOM’s Dr. MohamedSaeed. “It includes a complete bloodcount; urine and stool examinations;kidney, lung and liver function tests;viral tests; audiometry and a plainchest X-Ray.”

After the medical screening andmore practical tests on work environ-ment safety and general knowledge ofthe Italian language, Wagdy and 19other applicants were finally selectedfor jobs in the northern Italianprovince of Bergamo. Once they havecompleted an intensive languagetraining course, provided by the DonBosco Institute in close coordinationwith the IMIS project, they will travelto Italy next spring.

IMIS, which was devised to supportthe emigration section of the Ministryof Manpower and Emigration to facili-tate legal migration, also works toimprove the social status of Egyptianmigrants in receiving countries, andwill eventually help to channel back

badly needed human and financialresources to contribute to Egypt’sdevelopment.

IOM helped the Egyptian govern-ment to implement IMIS, building theministry’s managerial, informationtechnology and language skills base,as well as setting up a fully trainedand operational IT unit to meet futuretechnical needs. It also helped to traina research unit.

A key element of the programmewas to develop a website (www.emi-gration.gov.eg) to disseminate infor-mation about vacancies abroad andprovide practical, up-to-date informa-tion about employment opportunitiesin EU countries. The site also allowsthe Egyptian government to develop acloser relationship between theEgyptian diaspora and their homecountry.

The website also contains informa-tion on a seasonal jobs programme –the Rural Development of WestNoubaria Agricultural Pilot Project –funded by the Italian CooperationFund and implemented by theEgyptian Ministry of Agriculture andLand Reclamation.

The Ministry of Manpower andEmigration will take over the IMISprogramme by the end of 2005, witha view to helping hundreds of Egypt-ian citizens like Wagdy to legally emi-grate, gain skills and return home to abetter future.

Veronica Balderas Iglesias

IOM Cairo

Wagdy undergoes a thorough medical check-up.

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Wagdy applies online for the IMIS programme.

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Migratio

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Regulating Migration

ular migration are often not separatedin public opinion from the migrantsthemselves and from migration ingeneral and, therefore, result in anegative image of migrants as awhole.

In addition, challenges to nationalsecurity have become more complex.Recent efforts to combat terrorismhave put state security concerns at theforefront of the discussion on interna-tional migration. One of the greatestchallenges for governments in thisarea is to establish transparency andcredibility in their ability to manageirregular flows of migrants for bothmigrants themselves and the hostsociety.

The right of each country to deter-mine who enters and remains in itsterritory impacts the question of whois not authorized to remain in thecountry and therefore needs to returnto the country of origin. It should benoted that given the multi-directionalnature of migration, a large number ofmigrants return home spontaneouslyat any time without being furthernoticed. Migration management is,however, required to achieve anorderly, sustainable and humanereturn of migrants. Return is mostlikely to be orderly and sustainablewhen it comes as the free andinformed choice of the individual.

IOM is engaged in promoting theassisted voluntary return of migrants.

The third main area for migrationmanagement, as described in the four-box chart, addresses sensitive ques-tions related to national sovereigntyand identity. It is the fundamentalright of each country to determinewho enters and remains in its territory,and under what conditions. But howdoes a state achieve the balancebetween the need for control of itsborders and the need to facilitatemovement across its borders for legit-imate purposes such as trade, tourism,family reunion and education?

Policies in this domain aredesigned to facilitate and control thenumber and composition of personscrossing international borders and theconditions under which entry isauthorized or denied. Types ofauthorized entry can include perman-ent entry, such as for family unifica-tion or on humanitarian grounds, aswell as temporary entry to visit, study,and work for defined periods of time.Refusal of entry can be based on suchgrounds as criminality, terrorism, pub-lic health and the desire to protect thedomestic labour market.

However, over the last decades, theability to ensure the free flow of bonafide visitors and migrants, while alsoensuring effective control over theentry and stay of migrants, hasbecome more complex.

Irregular migration is escalatingand technological advancements pro-vide more refined tools for traffickingand smuggling networks to circum-vent government efforts to monitorand control movement. These net-works play a pervasive role in facili-tating irregular migration resulting inan alarming rise in abuse andexploitation of migrants. The negativeassociations from these types of irreg-

In this context, IOM undertakes pro-grammes that facilitate the voluntaryreturn and reintegration of displacedand stranded persons and othermigrants taking into account theneeds and concerns of local commu-nities. Assisted voluntary return takesaccount of the individual’s decision-making and dignity. It allows thereturnee to prepare for the return andis followed by reasonable reintegra-tion assistance to facilitate the initialreception and settlement into thehome community.

In addition, the return of qualifiednationals may improve and strengthenthe transfer of knowledge, skills andtechnology and thus contribute to thedevelopment of the home country.

IOM assists governments in thedevelopment and implementation ofmigration policy, legislation andadministrative mechanisms. To thisend, it provides technical assistanceand training for border guards onborder management, visa systems and the use of biometric information.IOM also has a broad range of pro-grammes to counter trafficking andsmuggling from prevention to assist-ance for victims.

Border Management•Cambodia14

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Donation of interception boats to Cambodia’s river and sea checkpoints

Migration Capacity BuildingIn Search of a Balance

between Security and Hospitality

Few countries in the world were des-tined to face history as contradictoryand dramatic as the Kingdom ofCambodia. A major South-East Asianpower in the early Middle Ages, withunsurpassed cultural achievements,modern Cambodia is still recoveringfrom Pol Pot’s regime and the atrocitiescommitted by the Khmer Rouge in themid 1970s.

Two decades of civil war and occu-pation disrupted Cambodia’s govern-ance, rule of law and social services,depriving most of its people of thebenefits of a modern state. Economicdevastation and the loss of humanand intellectual resources, caused byPol Pot’s regime, have profoundlyaffected Cambodia’s future.

But despite this devastating legacy,signs of progress are everywhere.Violence has decreased dramaticallyand armed incidents in the streets ofPhnom Penh are no longer a dailyroutine. Second-hand AK47s andhand grenades are no longer dis-played on the counters of the militarymarket on Airport Road, and drugs areno longer on the menu at every caféin the capital. A construction boom,especially in Phnom Penh and SiemReap, indicates the wealth of somesectors of the population and growingforeign investment. Increasing num-bers of tourists travel to Angkor Wat, amagnificent architectural complex inthe jungle near Siem Reap, and airtravel has improved enormously withdirect flights from major cities in theregion.

However, the picture remains farfrom rosy. Although the full-scale

civil war in Cambodia is already amatter of history, the country remainsa torn post-conflict society.Cambodia is one of the least devel-oped countries in South-East Asia andone of the poorest in the world.

IOM has been active in Cambodiasince January 1992. IOM pro-grammes were consolidated by Cam-bodia’s membership into IOM inDecember of 2002. Originally, IOM’sprogrammes concentrated on Migra-tion Health and Counter-Trafficking,two major challenges in a post-conflict society. Another recent andrapidly expanding area is TechnicalCooperation (TC).

At the request of the government,IOM has been carrying out compre-hensive technical cooperation pro-

grammes, which have helped create afunctioning migration managementstructure in Cambodia.

IOM’s TC activities started with the“Enhanced Migration Management”project in 2002. Funded by theAustralian government, this three-yearproject is designed to strengthen andenhance Cambodia’s migration man-agement and operational capacity tohandle regular and irregular migrantflows. The project includes a reviewof the structure of the CambodianImmigration Department; the estab-lishment of a training section; with aninduction programme for all immigra-tion staff; migration legislation; draft-ing of migration policies and proce-dures; and the computerization ofmigration processing at internationalborder checkpoints.

Cambod


The project was not designed, how-ever, to respond explicitly to thenewly emerging security concernsrelated to migration and terrorism,which require a rapid and decisiveresponse and extensive inter-agencycooperation.

Although Cambodia has beenspared major terrorist attacks, thereare concerns and circumstantial evi-dence that the country is of interest toterrorists and trans-border criminals.Cambodia’s particular attraction is thelow barriers to gain entrance; justabout any stranger with a valid pass-port, who pays the US$20 visa fee, isissued a tourist or business visa uponarrival in Phnom Penh or Siem Reapinternational airports and a number ofland checkpoints. This “user-friendly”approach is related to Cambodia’s“Open Skies” policy designed to pro-mote tourism to Angkor Wat andensure that tourists’ flows are pro-cessed as swiftly as possible.

In order to ensure that this hos-pitable immigration attitude is notabused, effective safeguards areneeded. Tackling these concerns hasbecome a principle direction of IOM’scurrent TC work in Cambodia.

A new project, “Strengthening Re-gional Security through Cambodia’sEnhanced Border Control Capacity”,funded by the UK’s Foreign and Com-monwealth Office Global Oppor-tunities Fund, has been building onthe work of the previous project tofurther strengthen Cambodia’s migra-tion management capacity with par-ticular reference to combating terror-ism and trans-border crime.

It addresses areas such as the pre-vention of migration-related crimethrough information analysis andintelligence-led law enforcement; thetransfer of targeted expertise to detectdocument fraud; and increased secur-ity of Cambodian documents. It alsoboosts cross-border cooperation andinformation sharing between coun-tries in the Australasian region.

While IOM does not view migrantsas a source of terrorism, migrationand border control have direct impli-cations for contemporary security

concerns and the prevention of terror-ism. Even if the immigration policy isnot central in countering terrorism, itprovides an important vehicle forbetter law enforcement, informationanalysis and intelligence sharing.Immigration authorities can con-tribute to national and internationalefforts through improved monitoringat border points, better sharing ofdata, and by setting up partnershipswith other law enforcement andimmigration agencies.

Examples of new projects underdevelopment include: “Strengtheningthe Tactical Intelligence Capacity ofCambodia’s Immigration Service.”This project aims to consolidateCambodia’s tactical intelligence capa-city with particular reference to com-bating terrorism and trans-bordercrime. It addresses areas such as theprevention of migration-related crimethrough information analysis and lawenforcement; the transfer of targetedexpertise in the area of documentfraud detection, and outlines futuresteps to introduce an effective andsecure telecommunications systembetween the Immigration Departmentand international checkpoints.

“Strengthening Regional Securitythrough Cambodia’s Enhanced Con-sular Capacity” is another projectunder development to consolidateCambodia’s Consular and overseasvisa-issuing capacity. It concentrates

on building the capacity of Cam-bodia’s Consular Service in order toreach levels required by today’s secur-ity and counter-terrorism environ-ment. It consists of strengthening theadministrative and operational skillsof the staff, and the infrastructure ofthe Consular Service. The project alsoincludes a study on the gaps in theadministrative and operational capa-city of the Consular Service, and willproduce recommendations for furthercapacity building, including theestablishment of Cambodia’s comput-erized visa register and a secure linkto embassies overseas.

On the whole, the fact that counter-terrorism and related cross-bordercrime has moved to the top of theinternational agenda has direct impli-cations for IOM TC programmes inCambodia and the region.

IOM activities offer useful tools tobuild the capacity of South-East Asiancountries to combat and preventterrorism, both at the policy and oper-ational levels. IOM and the RoyalGovernment of Cambodia will con-tinue to work together to solve a cen-tral migration management dilemma:how to maintain an open and tourist-friendly migration policy while ensur-ing effective safeguards for Cam-bodia’s security and stability.

Erik Slavenas, IOM Phnom Penh

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Cambodian immigration officers working at the Vietnamese border

Assisted Return and Reintegration•UK1616

soon after he had returned and dis-cussed his ideas to start a small busi-ness; he wanted to start earning assoon as possible so he could supporthimself and also contribute to his fam-ily, whom he lives with. Mr. Bakallichose stone carving as a good busi-ness option, based on the need forthis work in his home town. IOMhelped him to purchase the necessarymachinery, and he is working with avery experienced stone mason.

Through this partnership, Mr.Bakalli hopes to gain expertise fromhis colleague and eventually be ableto set up his own business. Mr.Bakalli acknowledges that there willalways be a need for this work, andwith an income and brighterprospects for the future he plans toremain with his family in his homecountry.

Since 1999 IOM’s Voluntary AssistedReturn and Reintegration Programme(VARRP) has helped more than 800persons to return to their countriesand start new lives.

The programme, managed by theIOM office in London, helps failedasylum seekers or those who havedecided to give up their asylumclaims to return voluntarily to theircountry, and more importantly toreintegrate once back home. IOMoffices worldwide work hand in handto offer the returnees reintegrationassistance, to set up small businesses,or to participate in vocational trainingor other education schemes for adultsand minors.

More than 800 persons havebenefited from this assistance, withhundreds more in the pipeline.Reintegration assistance is optional,but all returnees are encouraged toapply; currently some 50 per cent ofthose asking for return assistancehave also applied for reintegrationassistance.

Back to the Province of Kosovo

Mr. Bakalli returned to Kosovo,Serbia and Montenegro in April thisyear after five years in Glasgow, UK.He heard about the VARRP and rein-tegration assistance through IOMLondon’s partner in Glasgow anddecided to return home to be with hisfamily. IOM Prishtina contacted him

Sri Lanka has the highest number of reintegration casesassisted from England. To date

175 people have benefitedafter returning home.

Ms. Thana is a perfect example ofhow IOM Colombo is working withreturnees to make sure their reinte-gration is successful.

After two and a half years inEngland Ms. Thana returned home toSri Lanka with her two young chil-dren. Once home, she found it diffi-cult to visit the IOM office becauseshe had to look after her children. SoIOM contacted her to explain howshe could benefit from the reintegra-tion assistance. She presented a planfor a small grocery shop and workedwith a relative to secure premises.

Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration:

A Sustainable Return Home

Stone carving business, Gjackova, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro

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Participation in an IOM orientationprogramme in Colombo and businesstraining further developed her ideaand gave her the confidence sheneeded to start her business.

The shop opened at the beginningof the year. IOM reintegration assist-ance was used to purchase the initialstock for the shop. Frequent monitor-ing and advice have helped her todevelop the business and she nowemploys one person. The shop pro-vides a valuable service to her com-munity and allows her to earn anincome to support her family.

Sam Samarasinghe of IOMColombo works closely with the

returnees in providing reintegrationassistance “The returnees’ faces lightup when they see the IOM logo at theairport. They say the IOM presencegives them a certain security.”

IOM staff in Sri Lanka believe thatthese persons would have returnedearlier if they had known about thehelp provided by IOM to return andreintegrate.

IOM London is hard at work tryingto get that message to as many poten-tial returnees as possible. By raisingawareness amongst communitygroups and referral agencies inEngland, the stories of Mr. Bakalli and Ms. Thana will help build con-

fidence within the refugee commu-nity.

Figures compiled by the IOM rein-tegration team in London confirm thatsetting up a small business is the mostpopular reintegration option chosenby returnees: 61 per cent of thoseassisted are running their own busi-nesses.

The reintegration programmeshould also help the local community.Small businesses not only enablebeneficiaries to earn an income andsupport their families, but by employ-ing local people, buying supplieslocally, and providing a service, theyare contributing in many ways to thelocal economy.

With hundreds of applicants wait-ing for their return date under IOM’sVARRP programme, the future of theprogramme looks promising. There islittle recourse available to those whowould like to return to their country.This programme is the helping handthat many returning migrants need inorder to rebuild their lives in theirhomeland.

Nicola Hemmings

IOM London

VARRP Facts

7,467 people assisted to return home since 2000

87 nationalities assisted

818 people assisted with reintegration since June 2002

Most popular activities:

Creation of small businesses – 61%

Training and education – 32%

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Customers at Ms Thana's grocery shop.

Forced

Forced Migration18 18

ForcedMigration

Migrationject of growing international concernand increasingly considered both aninternal issue and a proper domain forinternational concern and action.

Refugees and displaced persons arenormally eager to return home butoften need repatriation assistance torebuild their homes and the infra-structure in their hometowns, whichmay have been destroyed. Schools,clinics, water supply systems, andaccess roads in particular need imme-diate attention in order to achieve asustainable repatriation.

Third country resettlement of refu-gees and certain other persons inneed of international protection hasbeen an important component foraddressing humanitarian crises. It is avoluntary activity of states to designresettlement programmes on humani-tarian grounds, which can be used aseither a protection or a durable solu-tion tool.

Another specialized category ofreturnees are the soldiers and irregu-lars who fought in a war but now mustfind a home and start over as civilians.Many of them bear physical and psy-chological wounds. Child soldiers inparticular have missed out on an edu-cation and a livelihood. War widowsand their families also have specialneeds. Return and repatriation pro-grammes often need to be linked toprogrammes for education, retrainingand counselling.

The fourth area of the four-box chartcovers migration management needsin relation to persons who have had tomove under one form of compulsionor another. It includes protectionmeasures for affected populations, theprovision of appropriate humanitarianassistance, and the search for durablesolutions.

Refugees and displaced personsremain a distinct category of peopleon the move deserving special atten-tion. They often move within broadermixed migratory flows, but the specialsituation of refugees and others whohave been forcibly displaced fromtheir homes and countries of origin bypersecution, general violence, con-flict, and human rights violationsmakes these individuals particularlyvulnerable. As a consequence refu-gees in need of international protec-tion require special attention andresponsibilities on the part of statesand the international community.

Persons forcibly displaced withintheir own countries lack the protec-tion of their own government, andsince they remain within their owncountry and are therefore subject tothe primary legal jurisdiction of theirown governments, they lack practicalas well as legal possibilities for inter-national protection and assistance. Asinternal displacement has increasedin scope and complexity, it is the sub-

Managing the return, repatriationand resettlement of refugees andinternally displaced persons is anintegral component of migrationmanagement. These activities requirecooperation between the host, homeand transit states, taking into con-sideration the needs and concerns ofeach as well as of the migrants them-selves.

IOM is active in assisting refugees,internally displaced persons, formerfighters, as well as population in tran-sition and recovery environments.Regarding former combatants in par-ticular, IOM is, for example, engagedin the disarmament, demobilizationand reintegration of Afghan soldiersinto civil society, which is seen ascentral to achieving long-term peaceand stability in the country. IOM’sapproach for the successful reintegra-tion of this sensitive target group isbased on methods to create condi-tions for demobilized combatants toreturn to their communities throughincome-generating projects.

IOM has been involved in post-warclaims and compensation pro-grammes, such as the German ForcedLabour Compensation Programmeand the Holocaust Victim AssetsProgramme. Recently, IOM assistedAfghans living in Pakistan and Iran tovote in the Afghan presidentialelection.

Afghan


Moqadasa Sidiqi was the first person to vote in a democratic election for Afghanistan.

Jules Verne’s famous character,Phileas Fogg, had 80 days to circum-navigate the globe. The task of organ-izing an election for hundreds ofthousands of Afghans, living in Iranand Pakistan, for Afghanistan’s first-ever democratic election, was just asdaunting as the challenge set by Verne;and Phileas Fogg’s feat was bettered bytwo days.

On 9 October, millions of Afghanswent to the polls to choose their first-ever democratically elected president.In Iran and Pakistan, hundreds ofthousands of Afghans also took part ina process organized by IOM’s Out ofCountry Registration and Voting pro-gramme (OCRV). While the in-coun-try process had been going on formore than a year, the programme inIran and Pakistan was organized inless than 78 days, when Memorandaof Understanding were signed be-tween the Government of Afghani-stan, the United Nations AssistanceMission in (UNAMA) and the two hostgovernments, and IOM was requestedby UNAMA and the Afghan JointElectoral Management Body to con-duct the operation.

In Pakistan, 740,000 Afghans wereregistered over a four-day period, andon polling day 80 per cent of thoseregistered returned to vote. In Iran,260,000 Afghans voted, for a total of850,000 persons in both countries.

The Assistant Secretary General incharge of the UN’s Department ofPeacekeeping Operations, HediAnnabi, told the UN Security Council,“It is a feat for which the IOM, andparticularly its teams in Pakistan andIran, deserve significant praise.”

Prior to the signature of the MoUs,IOM had a core team of four electoralexperts on the ground doing the initialplanning. Within one month, IOM/OCRV had opened 18 offices acrossPakistan and Iran, and by the begin-ning of October the project hadgrown into an operation of some20,000 personnel.

Hundreds of locations had to befound to be used as polling centres:stadiums, gymnasiums, schools,mosques and even private homeswere used as registration and pollingcentres. In some cases, tents had tobe set up. For every centre for malesthere had to be one for females. Inthe rare instances where communitiesrefused to allow women to vote, IOMstuck to a firm policy of not establish-ing any polling centre.

The logistics of the operation weredaunting. Within the first month over500 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones,satellite communications and officeequipment was procured. Severalhundred vehicles had to be rentedand a jet had to be leased in order forstaff to move quickly between Islama-bad, Tehran and Kabul. Trucks, twohelicopters and cargo planes had tobe hired to ensure the movement ofsensitive election materials and forthe rapid return to Kabul of the com-pleted ballots. Voluminous amountsof voter education materials wereproduced, translated into Dari andPashto, and printed.

One of the greatest logistical prob-lems was preparing the payroll forsuch a large number of staff. It tookfive days to print the 12,000 chequesto pay the staff in Pakistan. It was afull-time job for five days for two peo-ple just to remove the staples and theglue from the chequebooks to allowthem to run through the printers. TheIOM/OCVR office in Tehran had asimilarly daunting task on its hands.

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Security for both staff and voterswas a major concern in many areas.“Night letters” or flyers were distrib-uted in many camps and urban areasthreatening those who participated inthe election. IOM took many securityprecautions, hiring a number oftrained security officers, preparing thetwo helicopters and jet for eventualcasualty evacuations and transform-ing several vehicles into ambulances.Security was closely coordinated withthe host country law enforcementagencies; some modern, while othersin remote tribal areas had only basiccommunications and were armedwith World War I bolt action rifles.

Voter education and training forcommunity mobilizers, registrationand polling centre staff were majorcomponents of the operation.IOM/OCRV Director Peter Erben said,“We had to train several hundred staffto educate a population that had noreal knowledge of democracy or theprocess of democracy. And they inturn had to reach out to a populationthat in many cases was illiterate.Many election day observers re-marked on the generally widespreadcareful adherence to procedures.”

Several means of voter outreachand education were established –posters, radio dramas, and scores of

vans driving through Afghan commu-nities with loud speakers conveyedthe message to all Afghans. An IOMCall Centre with a free number wasavailable to answer all questions. Theintense media interest was also of usein getting the message out to theAfghan community. At just one pressconference in Peshawar, 200 mediarepresentatives attended.

“It was an immensely gratifyingproject to be involved in and as Itravelled around Pakistan and Iranmeeting Afghan communities andtheir leaders, the importance of whatwe were doing became increasinglyevident,” said IOM Regional Rep-resentative Richard Danziger. “Thevast majority wanted this election tohappen, they wanted to have a say inthe future of their country and werehopeful that this election would leadto stability. It was vitally importantthat we lived up to their expectationsand delivered an orderly, transparentand credible election. I am proud tosay that we achieved that.”

And so, on 9 October, a 19-year-old refugee named Moqadasa Sidiqicast her vote at 7 a.m. at a pollingstation in Islamabad and became thefirst person to vote in a democraticelection for Afghanistan. “I cannotexplain my feelings, just how happy

I am,” Moqadasa said as the world’smedia looked on. “I would neverhave thought that I would be able tovote in this election.”

The election had begun, but theprocess was far from over. Afterpolling, all the ballot boxes weretaken to Tehran, Quetta or Islamabadfor sorting and then transported toKabul under heavy security. ManyIOM/OCRV international staff trav-elled to Kabul to help out in thesupervision of the count.

Danziger recalls, “In my momentsof greatest doubt, when the obstaclesseemed the most overwhelming, Iwould think back to something anAfghan elder said to me during ameeting to discuss the growing threatsbeing directed at the election; ‘do notbe discouraged, we must have theopportunity to vote.’”

IOM/OCRV staff were not discour-aged, and in partnership with the hostgovernments and the Afghan people,the teams in Pakistan and Iran con-ducted a successful election for850,000 Afghans in 78 days. A feateven Phileas Fogg would be proud of.

Greg Bearup

IOM/OCVR Islamabad

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“America can get by without us, but we can’t

get by without America”The Resettlement of Meskhetian Turks to the US

Meskhetian community leader Mr. Svonidze leavesKrasnodar en route to the United States.

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“I hope this programme will relievethe suffering that my people haveendured for the past 60 years,” saysTianshan Svonidze, a Meskhetian Turkcommunity leader, as he arrives at thePhiladelphia International Airport aftera 17-hour journey from Russia’s south-ern region of Krasnodar.

Mr. Svonidze is part of a group ofsome 10,000 refugees known as theMeskhetian Turks who are expected toresettle in the United States over thenext few years.

The Meskhetian Turks are a peoplewithout a home and their history isfilled with persecution and forcedmigration. In the 16th century, theOttoman Empire conquered theregion on the Turkey-Georgia borderknown in Russian as Meskhetia,Samtskhe-Javakheti in Georgian, andAhuska in Turkish. The region re-mained under Turkish rule for nearly200 years, until the Russians occu-pied it in 1829.

The first chapter of the Mesk-hetian’s tragic history referred to byMr. Svonidze began in November1944 when Stalin’s regime con-scripted most of the Meskhetian menfor the war and deported the rest ofthe local ethnic population, some86,000 persons, to Soviet CentralAsia. All were transported by rail incattle wagons in terrible conditions.Many thousands died en route.

They continued to live in CentralAsia, most of them in today’s

Uzbekistan, until 1989 when thesecond chapter of their tragic historybegan with the rise of anti-Turkishnationalism, a by-product of the loos-ening of political control during thelast years of the Soviet Union.

June of 1989 saw the eruption ofviolent ethnic clashes and pogromsagainst the Meskhetian Turks, espe-cially in the fertile Fergana Valley inUzbekistan where many witnessedthe destruction of everything they hadbeen able to build up since their pre-vious deportation 45 years earlier.

The Soviet army was called in toprotect the Meskhetian Turks whowere then evacuated to other parts ofthe Soviet Union including Russia,Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kygyzstan.

This relocation was followed in1990 by the exodus of tens of thou-sands of Meskhetian Turks seeking aplace of refuge and looking to rejoinfamily members. Most ended up incountries and regions that made themfeel welcome, provided them withhousing and ultimately granted themlegal status and citizenship.

Russia

Resettlement•Russia22

But those who ended up in Russia’ssouthern Krasnodar province experi-enced the third chapter of their con-tinuing tragic history in the form ofRussian nationalism and the resurrec-tion of pre-revolutionary groups ofCossacks who united to form pseudo-military units as their ancestors haddone before the 1917 Russian revolu-tion. The Cossacks see their role asprotectors of the Russian motherlandfrom the Turks.

The Meskhetian Turks in Krasnodarwere viewed as outsiders and werenever accepted. The Governor of theKrasnodar region, Alexandr Tkachev,publicly stated that he wanted them to“go home to Turkey, to Georgia –wherever!”

Fifteen years later, over 10,000Meskhetian Turks in Krasnodar contin-ue to live as illegal aliens, harassed bybureaucrats and law enforcementbodies, and subject to the Cossacks’rage and violent wrath.

Many Meskhetian Turks wanted toreturn to their original homeland,Meskhetia, now within the borders ofthe Georgian Republic.

When Georgia was admitted intothe Council of Europe in 1999, theGeorgian government promised towelcome back the Meskhetian Turksand to pass a law by 2001 to deal withtheir repatriation. But to date there isstill no law and therefore no repatria-tion. The Georgians claim to have toomany pressing internal problems and

continue to ask for more time to ad-dress the issue of the Meskhetian Turks.

In October 2003, IOM began work-ing with the Governments of theRussian Federation and the UnitedStates to find a durable solution forthe Meskhetian Turks living inKrasnodar.

One aspect of this durable solutionwas to offer voluntary resettlement tothe United States. Both governmentsagreed that although not giving up onintegration within Russia or on thereturn to ancestral lands in Georgia,voluntary resettlement to the UnitedStates would relieve some of thesocial pressures caused by a largeunsettled population in Krasnodar.

The resettlement programme wasofficially launched in February 2004with an IOM information campaign incommunities with sizable MeskhetianTurk populations. The aim of thecampaign was to make communitiesaware of the programme, answersome of the uncertainties and startaccepting applications for resettle-ment.

IOM offices in Moscow andKrasnodar worked in close coopera-tion with the authorities of Russia andthe United States to screen applica-tions, schedule interviews, providemedical screening and cultural orien-tation to successful applicants, coord-inate resettlement arrangements andorganize the voyage from Krasnodarto the United States.

The voluntary resettlement pro-gramme is intended for those Meskhe-tian Turks who have fled Uzbekistan,live in Krasnodar and have successfullypassed a screening interview given byUS Department of Homeland Security(DHS) representatives.

The applicants who are approvedby DHS leave Russia within a fewmonths on IOM-arranged fights andare resettled in various communitiesthroughout the United States. The firstgroup of 27 families left Krasnodar inJune to settle in a town just outside ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jeanette Penning, the head of theresettlement agency helping theMeskhetian Turks with the initialsettling-in phase, reported, “TheMeskhetian Turks are very receptive tomeeting new people and gaining newexperiences. They are certainly will-ing to work.”

In fact, many of them found jobsalmost immediately upon arrival inthe United States.

After arriving in the United States,Mr. Svonidze expressed his sincerestthanks on behalf of his people. “Thisis entirely for our benefit, and we aregrateful. America can get by withoutus, but we can’t get by withoutAmerica. But I think this programmewill give America a new group of law-abiding citizens who will be useful tothe country.”

Mark Brown, IOM Moscow

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Moroccan Migrants

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Return Home

Moroccan Migrants

Flee Falluja,

Return Home

Morocc

Repatriation•Morocco24

“Al hamdillallah, al hamdillallah, alhamdillallah...” “Thanks be to God.”None of the 25 Moroccans arriving inJordan from Iraq could really believethey had arrived safely.

At the invitation of the MoroccanEmbassy in Baghdad, they came fromFalluja, Ramadi, Baghdad, and else-where, in buses, taxis and private cars– literally driving through a war zoneon the first stage of their journeyhome.

Some had been in Iraq for morethan 20 years – veterans of wars,uprisings, sanctions and repression.Many had been born there, likeAhmed, 8, and tiny Mustafa who hadjust turned 2.

The group was met at the Iraq-Jordan border by IOM staff, who wereto accompany them to Amman andthen onward to Morocco. Since April2003, IOM Iraq’s Regional OperationsCentre has helped 5,473 ThirdCountry Nationals fleeing Iraq toreturn to their countries of origin.

“Living and working in Iraq was notalways bad,” said Halima, 54, as sheprepared to board the flight toCasablanca. “In the 80s we saved

money, it was good, but then thingssteadily got worse. Last year the housewe stayed in fell in on us (wasbombed) and everything was lost. Itwas then that I knew we must leave.”

Clutching her sister and steering anairport trolley with just two batteredsuitcases, they were leaving afteralmost a quarter of a century ofstruggle with less than they arrived. Itwas a bitter blow.

I accompanied the tight-knit groupon their journey home to Morocco,and went on to visit some of them intheir family homes and communitiesin Casablanca, Rabat and the sur-rounding countryside.

During tearful family reunions,they divulged fragments of their lives– the familiar dilemmas of migrantsthe world over – the search for abetter life set against the sacrifice ofleaving family and friends.

Salih, a middle-aged man in a bat-tered leather jacket, had agonized formonths whether to seek work in Iraqin the aftermath of the first Gulf war.Almost 15 years later, he finally madeanother decision – to temporarilyleave his wife and four children inBaghdad. With no close family, he

arrived alone in Morocco to find ahouse and a job ahead of their return.

For most, the story was similar. Iraqin the 80s offered good wages and liv-ing conditions. But after the invasionof Kuwait, the resulting war, and thefollowing sanctions, things becamemore difficult, and finally with theviolence of the recent months, un-tenable.

For Malika, it was in part the night-mares of her three children that hadprompted her decision to return toMorocco. “They have seen things nochild should see,” she whispered, asthey tore around the house after theircousins – a new life in the making.“They have walked over bodies in thestreets, hidden from bombs anddreadful violence.”

“But…,” and she quieted the sev-eral generations of relatives sippingtea around her, “They have also ex-perienced the generosity of the Iraqipeople, the kindness of the MoroccanEmbassy, of the officials in Jordan,IOM and all the many people whohelped and welcomed us along theway. God willing, this is what theywill remember.”

Adrian Sutton, IOM Amman

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Cross-cutting ActivitiesIOM has carried out or contributed

to a number of research studies onspecific migration issues, and collectsmigration data from its own activitiesin order to provide information onmigration trends, challenges andopportunities.

Policy Debate and Guidance

IOM Council’s International Dia-logue on Migration is the principalinternational forum for intergovern-mental migration policy debate, foster-ing enhanced understanding andcooperation on migration. Moreover,IOM is participating in various interna-tional and regional fora, with a view toimproving mutual understanding, inter-agency cooperation and, to promotingsynergies and avoiding duplications.

Regional and InternationalCooperation

Regional consultative processes onmigration are already making consid-erable progress towards creating com-mon understandings and cooperationon migration. These mechanismsstrengthen international cooperation;promote sharing of information andexperiences, and build confidence andpartnerships on issues of commonconcern. IOM has been an activeleader and participant in virtually all ofthese consultative circles that alreadyexist in the Americas, Europe, Africaand the Asia-Pacific Region.

Public Information and Education

Information campaigns and educa-tion programmes can promote a betterunderstanding of the complex phe-nomenon of migration and raiseawareness among host communities ofthe positive contributions that migrantscan make to their society. This canhelp reduce the incidence of xeno-phobia and discrimination in hostsocieties, and at the same time helpmigrants to better understand localcustoms and to comply with locallaws. IOM information campaignsalso inform potential migrants about

Numerous issues cut across each ofthe four areas of migration manage-ment. The challenges posed by theseissues need to be addressed in thecontext of each area.

Technical Cooperation and CapacityBuilding

Regardless of their stage of econom-ic development, states are continuallystriving to increase their capacity toeffectively manage population move-ments. Through its technical coopera-tion activities, IOM supports andassists in the development and imple-mentation of projects and programmesfocusing on strengthening the capacityof governments, NGOs and otheractors to better manage migration.

Migrants’ Rights and InternationalMigration Law (IML)

Despite the absence of a compre-hensive international legal regime formigration, many international lawnorms and principles are relevant tothe management of migration andmany bilateral, regional and multi-lateral agreements govern migration-related issues between states. Althoughthe management of migration is asovereign right, states have the respon-sibility to protect the rights of migrantsand nationals, and to take into con-sideration the interest of both, withinthe parameters set by internationalprinciples, standards and norms.

From 2005, IOM intends to promoteIML as part of comprehensive migra-tion management frameworks by en-gaging in the compilation, dissemin-ation, and implementation of IML,combined with training and capacity-building activities.

Data and Research

Research and analysis are importantprerequisites to understand migrationand develop sustainable practicalapproaches. Credible data is indis-pensable for developing, monitoringand evaluating policy and legal issues.

the legal channels for migration andthe dangers inherent to smuggling andtrafficking.

Migration Health

Mobility not only affects the healthof the people on the move, but also thehealth of communities in which theystay, whether for long or short periods,and the home communities to whichthey return. The challenge for states isto reduce public health risks and toenhance the physical and social healthof migrants. IOM deals with travel andimmigration health requirements andprovides migration and travel healthassessment and advice to migrants.

Gender Dimension

Women’s participation in the migra-tion process and the reasons for whichthey migrate are evolving. The “femi-nization of migration” represents oneof the most significant trends in recentinternational migration streams.

The challenge for governments andthe international community lies todayin removing the implicit gender bias inmigration. Legislation in most coun-tries needs to be updated with genderconsideration systematically includedto avoid gender discrimination. IOMhas been making efforts to institution-alize and mainstream gender into itswork, by ensuring equal access to itsprojects and services.

Integration and Reintegration

Well-planned integration policiesare essential to social stability and toprotecting the rights and dignity ofmigrants. IOM is promoting integra-tion and reintegration through numer-ous projects and programmes such aslanguage, cultural orientation, and/orvocational training. These projects cantake place before the departure of themigrants or in the country of destina-tion to facilitate and accelerate theirintegration in the host community.

Photo essay•Afghanistan26

IOM’s Assistanceto Kuchis,

the Afghan Nomads


In the late 1970s, there were some 2 million Kuchi nomads in Afghani-stan. Their livestock and the productsthese generated, such as meat, milkand wool, represented 18 per cent ofthe national economy.

The Kuchis today are probably themost destitute and most forgottengroup in Afghanistan. After 25 yearsof fighting, widespread landminesand five years of drought, it is esti-mated that 60 per cent of Kuchihouseholds have lost their livestock.Part of the pastoralists that have suf-fered the most are the ones whomigrated between the southernprovinces of Kandahar and Helmand,and Ghazni and Zabul in easternAfghanistan.

Approximately 70 per cent of theinternally displaced persons (IDPs) inthe south of the country are pastoral-ists. Currently, 9,000 Kuchi house-holds, around 50,000 persons, are liv-ing in IDP camps in Kandahar.

A new IOM programme is helpingthese destitute pastoralists to re-establish a sustainable livelihood byoffering reintegration assistance tothose wishing to give up their formerlifestyle, and providing livestockrecovery for the Kuchis willing toresume their traditional way of life.

Because pastoralists depend highlyon natural resources, IOM is currentlyconducting a rangeland assessment inGhazni and Zabul, in close coordina-tion with the Ministry of Agricultureand Animal Husbandry and with thehelp of the Ghazni Kuchi leader. Theassessment will help estimate the live-stock carrying capacity of the land;determine appropriate seasonal graz-ing areas and sensitive zones thatrequire special attention.

Enhancing livestock productionand helping to reintegrate IDPs willincrease income opportunities andliving standards for pastoralists andtheir sedentary neighbours, while atthe same time helping the local andnational economy.

Amélie Banzet

IOM Kabul

© IOM 2004 (Photos: Julia Hartlieb)

New Publications28

The list of IOM publications can be found on the IOM website:

http://www.iom.int

IOM publications are available from:International Organization for Migration, Research and Publications Division

17 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 19 SwitzerlandTel: +41.22.717 91 11, Fax: +41.22.798 61 50, E-mail: [email protected]

IOM publications are also available from the sales offices of the United NationsE-mail: [email protected] (Geneva) or [email protected] (New York)

Migration from Latin America to Europe:Trends and Policy Challenges Latin American migration to Europe hasincreased dramatically during the last fewyears. Countries in Southern Europe which haveclose historical and cultural ties to LatinAmerica have been most affected. ThisMigration Research Series study analyses cur-rent trends, causes and policy challenges ofrecent LAC flows to Europe.

Migration Research Series No 1674 pages – US$16 – ISSN 1607-338X

Revisiting the Human Trafficking Paradigm:The Bangladesh ExperiencePart I: Trafficking of AdultsThis document provides an overview of someof the inconsistencies in the existing humantrafficking paradigm. It offers an analysis of thepresent trafficking framework as it relates totrafficking of adults in the Bangladesh context.

Human trafficking should be seen against awide range of trafficking acts and outcomesthat involve several stages, the important onesbeing associated with the organization of the supply of people vulner-able to exploitation and harm; the process of movement and thedemand for the service or labour of trafficked person. To lend a compre-hensive view of the trafficking in persons phenomenon, a group ofdevelopment activists in Bangladesh decided to revisit the existingcounter-trafficking interventions, laws, procedures and institutions. TheGroup's recurring informal dialogue culminated in a “Thematic Group”engaging in intensive discourses regarding the various aspects of traf-ficking. The group aimed to hold a regular and sustained dialogueinvolving all stakeholders, to develop a conceptual blueprint mappingout different elements of the counter-trafficking paradigm and toachieve conceptual clarity and build consensus on the counter-traffick-ing phenomenon. This publication is the outcome of the efforts of the30 representatives from various embassies, development partners,ministries, NGOs, research organizations and civil society, who madeup the “Bangladesh Counter-Trafficking Thematic Group”.

86 pages – US$25 – ISBN 92-9068-207-8

New Titles!Significant International Statementson Migration: A ThematicCompilationSignificant InternationalStatements: A ThematicCompilation is a collection ofstatements emanating fromselected migration-relatedregional, inter-regional andinternational conferences. It is intended as a refer-ence tool for migration practitioners, policy makersand IOM staff when looking at migration issues ofinterest to the international community.

International Dialogue on Migration No. 5CD – US$5 – ISSN 1726-2224

HIV/AIDS and Mobile Populationsin the Caribbean:A Baseline AssessmentThe IOM report HIV/AIDS and Mobile Populationsin the Caribbean: A Baseline Assessment is basedon research in Barbados, Curaçao (NetherlandsAntilles), the Dominican Republic, Jamaica andTrinidad and Tobago, including a survey of mobilepopulations and an analysis of national AIDS plans.

To view the entire report visit the IOM Website:http://www.iom.int/iomwebsite/Publication/ServletSearchPublication?event=detail&id=3592

Changing Patterns and Trends ofTrafficking in Persons in the BalkanRegionIn the second half of 2003, IOM and other agen-cies were confronted with a marked decline in thenumber of victims referred for protection andassistance in the Balkan countries. IOM decided toinvestigate the real causes for the apparentdecrease in the number of victims.

To view the entire report visit the IOM Website:http://www.iom.int/iomwebsite/Publication/ServletSearchPublication?event=detail&id=3571

Documents

Migration - December 2004