Strong support for migrant women
As the European population ages, it is important to ensure that female immigrants and new arrivals can effectively fill in the gaps of retiring women and contribute to productive societies. The EU-funded project 'Integration of female immigrants in labour market and society. Policy assessment and policy recommendations' (Femipol) sought to advance this objective. Most of these women are being limited to jobs in domestic services, agriculture and tourism, as wll as the sex trade. With this in mind, the project wanted to open up other employment fields that also foster integration and social cohesion. It therefore assessed relevant labour market and social policies, as well as integration and migration policies, to outline recommendations that address these concerns. The project considered women hailing from various countries and their situations in different EU states. It analysed their status, looked at relevant policies and conducted interviews with migrant women and policy makers as well as social services officers to collect data. Work included studies on informal sectors, welfare system changes, linguistic barriers, social exclusion and obstacles to exploiting professional skills. femipol then outlined different recommendations on facilitating and legalising immigration, as well as limiting informal labour markets. It proposed revision of policies that erode the welfare system and supported the offering of language courses to upgrade human capital. It called for upgrades in domestic employment and giving rights to women working in prostitution. Last but not least Femipol called for addressing human trafficking and promoting human rights to empower victims. overall, the impact of this project on the rights of immigrants in Europe could be very positive indeed.
