Women Migrants Face Double Discrimination

The United Nations says that women migrants who travel to Britain and other developed countries are put at risk of exploitation and abuse because governments “overlook and ignore” them. When female migrants arrive in Western countries, they often miss out on health care because they are not aware of their rights and remain at risk of exploitation from employers. They suffer double discrimination from being both female and migrants. The report also warned that governments in the West were not doing enough to protect women from forced migration in the forms of sex trafficking, enforced marriages and employment abuses. The welfare of women migrants is now of particular concern because the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has revealed that women now make up half of the world’s 191 million international migrants, compared with less than 45 per cent in 1960. They contribute billions to the economies of the countries they travel to in terms of taxes and consumption, yet more is needed to be done on their behalf. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the UNFPA, said: “We call on governments to recognize and value the contributions of migrant women and to promote and respect their human rights.” The UN report also revealed that claims about “floods” of migrants were exaggerated. Since 1960, the proportion of migrants has remained stable, accounting for 2.9 per cent of the global population. The UN also states that there is a “dire need” for stronger co-operation between rich and poor countries to ensure migration around the world is better managed.
Extracted from: Women migrants ‘suffer double discrimination’ by Maxine Frith, The Independent, 7 September 2006