Strengthening the rights of migrants in the Mediterranean region
The Interior Ministry of Spain has set an example against the indiscriminate stopping of ‘foreign-looking people’. The ministry sent an internal appeal to law enforcement bodies stating that random people who seem to have foreign origins should not be suspected of being illegal immigrants. In the past, several NGOs have accused the police of illegally stopping ‘foreign-looking’ people at bus stops or Metro stations. According to these complaints, officers had checked people simply because of their clothing and/or the colour of their skin or other aspects of their physical appearance. Despite those accusations the Ministry does not cite those allegations in their current communication but simply reinforces their position telling police officers ‘to avoid any practice that entails unjust restrictions and liberties of migrants’. Ministry officials have so far denied the allegations of biased police checks. The memorandum, however, aims at clearing up ambiguities concerning those practices through two main objectives. First, to ask police officers to not force migrants to follow them to a police station in case they do not have their identification papers with them. Secondly, to prevent police raids in certain areas where migrants usually gather. To summarise, the general idea of the communication is ‘to avoid misinterpretations of the law’.
In the meantime, the Council of migrants in Morocco has put up the fight for the rights of undocumented migrants. The association has launched a campaign that pursuits the regularisation of undocumented migrants. The campaign was started during May 1st celebrations in Rabat, where more than 160 undocumented migrants demonstrated peacefully for their rights. Their claims are similar to those of the Moroccan workers represented by the Democratic Trade union, who ask for respect and fair working conditions for themselves. The Council of Migrants itself was founded in 2005 and consists of people from many nationalities, but mainly migrants of Sub-Saharan African origin. Another intention of their campaign is to attract the public attention to human rights abuses and violence especially against undocumented migrants.
