Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 12164 | 04 February 2010

The need for reinforced protection of rights of migrant women

Signatories: Mr John GREENWAY, United Kingdom ; Ms Tina ACKETOFT, Sweden ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Alexander van der BELLEN, Austria ; Mr Nikolaos DENDIAS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Arcadio DÍAZ TEJERA, Spain, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden ; Ms Gultakin HAJIBAYLI, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Mr Doug HENDERSON, United Kingdom ; Ms Anette HÜBINGER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland, SOC ; Ms Corien W.A. JONKER, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Reijo KALLIO, Finland, SOC ; Mr Giorgi KANDELAKI, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Mr Franz Eduard KÜHNEL, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Geert LAMBERT, Belgium ; Mr Göran LINDBLAD, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Nursuna MEMECAN, Turkey, ALDE ; Ms Anna NTALARA, Greece ; Mr Evangelos PAPACHRISTOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Jørgen POULSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Milorad PUPOVAC, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Mailis REPS, Estonia, ALDE ; Ms Tineke STRIK, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Elke TINDEMANS, Belgium ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Özlem TÜRKÖNE, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrej ZERNOVSKI, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', ALDE ; Ms Naira ZOHRABYAN, Armenia, ALDE

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly is concerned about the human rights implications of the increasing proportion of migrants who are women, particularly women seeking work.

Half of all international migrants today are women. In many circumstances migrant women, particularly those working in poorly regulated sectors such as domestic services, are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and trafficking, and are in an urgent need for reinforced protection.

The Assembly considers that further steps need to be taken by the Council of Europe to enhance the protection of migrant women, irrespective of their occupation or migrant status. To this end, it calls upon member states and the Committee of Ministers to:

encourage member states governments to step up the ratification of relevant existing legal protection instruments, notably the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking of Human Beings;

ensure that the future Council of Europe convention to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence includes the legal protection and support of migrant women from gender-based violence and abuse, irrespective of their legal status;

encourage member states governments to introduce a gender-sensitive approach in formulating international migration policies;

urge the European Union to recognise the rights of migrant women in developing European Union immigration and social policies;

strengthen the partnership between Council of Europe member states and countries of origin in order to respect the human rights of migrant women, promote gender equality, including in civil law and empower women;

undertake urgent examination of problems of ageing migrant women: their access to support, special needs and social benefits;

re-examine, in co-operation with the European Union, the availability of legal migration channels for migrant women, safeguarding their migration opportunities and protection in the context of reducing irregular migration.