Dear Colleague

Welcome to this edition of Migrants Rights News. There are items here about a job opportunity at the MRN, notices of meetings and conferences, and campaigning work around the country. If you have feedback/comments on any item, we are always glad to hear from you.

Job vacancy at MRN

The Migrants' Rights Network is currently advertising for the position of Policy Worker. This is a full-time position (suitable for job-share) and the post-holder will work from our offices in London. Full details of the post and an application pack are available on our website http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/opportunities.htm.

The closing date for applications is 10th March 2008.

Anti-Poverty Network England AGM Tues 19th February: Launch of research on migrant and refugee integration

This will take place from 12noon - 3pm, at Amnesty International Human Rights Centre in central London. For further information visit http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/events.htm, or contact Nazek Ramadan at Nazek@migrants.org.uk.

UKREN to discuss European immigration policy at forthcoming Council meeting

The Council of the UK Race and Europe Network (UKREN) will be meeting in London on Thursday 13th March for discussion about European policies which have a bearing on race equality issues. This will include a session on European immigration policy, with contributions from Rene Plaetovoet, of December 18, Giampi Alhadeff, secretary-general of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, and Kate Roberts of Kalayaan.

UKREN welcomes application to join its Council, required to attend this meeting. For further information click on: http://www.runnymedetrust.org/news/14/30.html

Conference: Human Rights for Every Child

15 March 2008, 9:30 to 4:00, at Clore Management Centre Birkbeck College,
Torrington Square, London WC1 7HX.

This event has been organised by UNISON and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) to defend and promote the rights of young people who are seeking asylum, refugees or migrants or trafficked.

The Conference will launch a campaign to:

• Demand that the rights of children take precedence over their immigration status and to promote their rights as children.
• To fight for the removal of the UK's reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Workshops will enable people from various complementary disciplines to share experiences and address areas of mutual concern. This will enable them to start to formulate strategies to effect short, medium and long term improvements for young people.

For further information contact: doug@abelard.org.uk

PICUM Workshop on the Rights of Undocumented Children

To be Brussels held on Friday 4th April at ACV-CSC (Trade Union Building) 19 rue Pletinckx, 1000 Brussels.

"In order to investigate the situation of undocumented children in Europe, PICUM began a new project on "Fighting discrimination-based violence against undocumented children in Europe" in February 2007. The project, co-financed by the DAPHNE Programme of the European Commission, DG Justice Freedom and Security, aims at fighting discrimination-based violence against undocumented children in Europe, by developing the capacity of concerned partners to protect undocumented children from discrimination in gaining access to housing, education and health care.

"The workshop will provide an opportunity to investigate the specific needs and problems that undocumented children face in Europe when trying to access their basic social rights. The event will enable participants to share experiences of good practices regarding the provision of protection to undocumented children subjected to discrimination-based violence in the fields of housing and education."

For further information and details of registration, visit www.picum.org/

Migrant rights to primary health care services - campaign news

The campaign for migrant rights to health care services is continuing despite the fact the government has postponed (for the second time) an announcement to Parliament on the new regulations it intends to bring in.

At the beginning of February a group of chairs of London primary care trusts met in Parliament to consider the impact the planned changes will have on services they provide to migrant and BME communities in their areas. Briefed by public health experts and Medact, the health services charity, the trust chairs resolved to do further work on the issue. They resolved in particularly to push government for a full health impact assessment on the implications of the measures for the quality of health services for migrant and BME communities.

Meetings on migrant health services issues are taking place in other regions within the next few weeks:

• The Manchester Refugee Support Network will be meeting on the afternoon of Friday 29th February to consider the progress they are making with their campaign against the proposed changes. For more information, contact forum@mrsn.org.uk.
  
  
• On the same day the Scotland MRN Roundtable group will be meeting to discuss health care issues for migrants. For more information contact c.andreatta@migrantsrights.org.uk.
  
  
• On Monday 10th March a half day conference on migrant health in the North East is being organised by the North East Public Health Observatory. For more information contact Carol Nugent at carol.nugent@nepho.org.uk.
  
  
• The South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group and City of Sanctuary are planning a public meeting on Medical Aspects of Asylum on Friday 14th March. Contact and hope to get medical people involved. Contact David Price for details - davidprice2@googlemail.com.

For updates on the campaign, visit the Medact website, at http://www.medact.org.uk.

Other news....

The MRN participated in a successful debate in Parliament on the need for a progressive approach to immigration policy on 29th January. Over 150 people heard immigration minister Liam Byrne debate with MRN director Don Flynn, Sukhvinder Stubbs of the Barrow Cadbury Trust, Neil Jameson of London Citizens, and Jon Cruddas MP on the issues involved in a progressive approach to this subject. The meeting was chaired by Polly Toynbee of The Guardian, and organised by Compass, the MRN and the Barrow Cadbury Trust.

For a report of the discussion, visit: http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/new.htm.

++++++++++++++++++++++

A new Parliamentary Group on Migration was launched at a meeting in Parliament at the end of January. With Dagenham MP Jon Cruddas as chair, the group aims to "provide Parliamentarians with a forum for an open and positive debate on the benefits of migration in the UK. It is also envisaged that the group will develop into a unique platform where Parliamentarians can share accurate and up-to-date information on migration issues and engage in debate and dialogue on issues of concern with practitioners and campaigners."

The group will meet in the next few weeks to elect officers and decide its work programme for the coming period. For further information about its work, contact t.rodewaldt@connectpa.co.uk.

++++++++++++++++++++++

A MRN Roundtable discussion will take place in Cardiff on Wednesday 9th April. It will provide an opportunity for groups working with migrants in the principality to discuss issues arising from their work. The focus for discussion on this occasion will be 'enforcement policies in Wales'. For further information contact Cristina Andreatta at c.andreatta@migrantsrights.org.uk.

++++++++++++++++++++++

The MRN is planning to organise Sponsored Walk in support of the work of PICUM, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. Tentative plans at the moment suggest a Saturday date in June, and a route that will cover the 12 kilometres of riverside walking along the Thames, from the Woolwich Peninsular to Waterloo and the London Eye.

We would like to put together a team of volunteers to organise this event, and would like to hear from anyone whose had experience of sponsored walks in the past, either as an organiser, a helper-out-on-the-day, or a participant. Contact Cristina at the MRN office if you are interested in getting involved - c.andreatta@migrantsrights.org.uk.

Don Flynn
Director
Migrants' Rights Network
Email: d.flynn@migrantsrights.org.uk

TOWARDS A PROGRESSIVE IMMIGRATION POLICY - a new collection of essays on the principles which should underpin progressive immigration policies. Edited by Don Flynn and Zoe Williams and published by Compass, the Barrow Cadbury Trust and the Migrants' Rights Network. Copies available, price £5.00, from the MRN, address above (cheques payable to 'MRN'). Or download a free copy from the MRN website - http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/files/progressive.pdf