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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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5 THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM TRADINGpoint-scoring and xenophobia of national politics, where politicalleaders live in fear of being branded ‘soft on migration’.Increasing the proportion of migrants who migrate legally is vital<strong>to</strong> guaranteeing their rights and safety, and all governments shouldsign and ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protectionof the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families,and ensure that migrant workers enjoy the same rights as nationals.In 1998, Italy showed the way with the ‘Tes<strong>to</strong> Unico’ law, which guaranteedmedical assistance and labour rights regardless of citizenshipstatus, and a range of measures <strong>to</strong> protect migrants from violence andsexual trafficking. 97 In part thanks <strong>to</strong> pressure from organisations ofmigrant workers and their allies, Hong Kong has some of the mostenlightened policies in this area, including a range of migrant workers’unions and ‘mobile ambassadors’ based at the airport, who providearriving migrants with information on government policies, contactinformation for NGOs working with migrant labourers, and governmenttraining courses on issues such as labour rights. 98In the North, active citizens have a vital role <strong>to</strong> play in pushing thecase for better migration rules and combating the worst abuses.Migrants themselves are leading the way: in 2007, 158 immigrantadvocacy groups from around the USA launched a nationwide boycot<strong>to</strong>f Western Union, the largest US money-transfer company, accusingit of charging exorbitant fees while failing <strong>to</strong> adequately reinvest inimmigrant communities. 99Internationally, the main objective should be <strong>to</strong> increase flows ofnew temporary migrants, who then return <strong>to</strong> their countries of origin.Circular migration eases fears in recipient countries and maximisesthe benefits <strong>to</strong> home countries, as returning migrants bring home newskills, ideas, and cash. Surveys show that would-be migrants muchprefer the idea of temporary migration <strong>to</strong> a permanent move, wereboth options <strong>to</strong> be made legal. 100One possibility would be <strong>to</strong> pay a portion of a migrant’s socialsecurity or pension payments in<strong>to</strong> a ‘return fund’, similar <strong>to</strong> a standardpension scheme, which would become available only upon his or herreturn. This would ensure that workers arrive back home with a sizeablepool of resources <strong>to</strong> invest. There could be penalties for home governmentswhose nationals failed <strong>to</strong> comply with return requirements.339

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