The gap between law and reality : addressing human trafficking in the British domestic work industry

The British government has expressed its latest commitment to tackling trafficking in human beings (THB) under the Modern Slavery Act passed in March 2015. However, the evidence collected for this study on trafficking in the domestic work sector suggests that the Modern Slavery Act is likely to fall short of expectations. The structural reasons that lie behind the failure to protect domestic workers and deter abusive behaviour on the part of employers in the UK are: the strict immigration rules and political priorities of law enforcement agencies; the State’s stake in organising and regulating the labour market; and, the state of the welfare regime protecting families and offering vulnerable individuals access to the rule of law.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 612869

Demand in the context of trafficking in human beings in the domestic work sector in the United Kingdom

The British government has taken several important legislative steps in addressing THB, the modern slavery bill being the most recent one. At the same time, it has adopted a number of policies that contradict the implementation of a public policy intent at criminalising and stopping THB. The change of the overseas domestic worker visa rules putting newly arrived domestic workers in a very vulnerable position as regards their employment is a case in point. The UK also remains a country with a largely unregulated domestic work sector and without a Labour Inspectorate agency overseeing the activities of employers and businesses across the sectors of the British economy. The evidence collected in this study suggests that the main obstacles to prevent exploitative situations within the domestic work industry are: a) the strict immigration rules and political priorities of law enforcement agencies, b) the involvement of the State in the organisation and regulation of the domestic work labour market, and c) the state of the welfare regime protecting families and offering vulnerable individuals access to the rule of law. These are the structural reasons that lie behind the failure to protect domestic workers and deter abusive behaviour on the part of employers in the UK. The study’s findings on national law-cases also demonstrate that the kind of work relationship established in domestic work aggravates the vulnerability of the workers and the sense of impunity on the part of the employers.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 612869

Migrant smuggling : irregular migration from Asia and Africa to Europe

The fulltext attached is an extract of the Book 'Migrant Smuggling' by Anna Triandafyllidou and Thanos Maroukis ISBN 978-0-230-29637-4 and includes: Chapter 1, and a few page highlights from chapters 4 and 5. It is reproduced with permission of Palgrave Macmillan. This extract is taken from the author's original manuscript and has not been edited. The definitive version of this piece may be found in Migrant Smuggling by Anna Triandafyllidou and Thanos Maroukis which can be accessed from www.palgrave.com.This book explores one important aspect of international irregular migration, notably the smuggling of migrants from Asia and Africa into southern European countries. During the last two decades, international migration has intensified both across the East to West and South to North axis,with Europe receiving increasing numbers of migrants from developing countries in Africa and Asia (and also Latin America), and this work examinesthis international movement of people that oftentakes place illegally and involves either unlawful border crossings or overstaying (with or without a visa). The book also discusses how migration control policies in southern European countries may inadvertently shape the migrant smuggling phenomenon and the smuggling 'business'.List of Tables, Maps and Figures Preface Acknowledgements Irregular Migration and Human Smuggling from Asia and Africa to Europe Migrant Smuggling from Africa to Spain, Italy and Malta: A Comparative Overview The South-eastern Mediterranean: The Greece-Turkey Irregular Migration System Human Smuggling from/via North Africa and Turkey to Greece Human Smuggling from/via Asia and Turkey From Greece to Europe: Migrant Smuggling from Greece Onwards Trafficking in Human Beings Migrant Smuggling: A Social Business Bibliography References Inde

Circular Migration between Albania and Greece: A case study

The METOIKOS Research Project. Circular migration patterns in Southern and Central Eastern Europe: Challenges and opportunities for migrants and policy makersAlthough diverse back-and-forth migration patterns of Albanians have been taking place throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the phenomenon of circular migration is the most under-researched of all. This case study intends to bring up the diversity of the circular patterns of mobility of the Albanian migrants, try to understand the prospects of this circularity for the parties involved (the migrant, the employer, the host economy and the economy of origin), and critically assess policies at both sides of the border that promote or put obstacles to different types of circularity.METOIKOS (2009-2011) is funded by the European Commission, European Integration Fund for Third Country Nationals, Community Actions 2008 (Grant Agreement no: JLS/2008/EIFX/CA/1007). Coordinator: Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute

Circular Migration between Albania and Greece

The METOIKOS Research Project. Circular migration patterns in Southern and Central Eastern Europe: Challenges and opportunities for migrants and policy makersMETOIKOS (2009-2011) is funded by the European Commission, European Integration Fund for Third Country Nationals, Community Actions 2008 (Grant Agreement no: JLS/2008/EIFX/CA/1007). Coordinator: Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute

Economic migration in Greece: labour market and social inclusion

Η κύρια συντεταγμένη γύρω από την οποία συζητείται και οργανώνεται η κινητικότητα των ανθρώπων στις μέρες μας είναι το επίπεδο εξειδίκευσης τους. Η μόνη περίπτωση, άλλωστε, που ο πολιτικός κόσμος σύσσωμος παροτρύνει την μετανάστευση στα πλαίσια της Ευρώπης-Φρούριο αφορά άτομα με υψηλό απόθεμα δεξιοτήτων. Η πραγματικότητα όμως των ανθρώπων που μεταναστεύουν συνήθως διαφέρει. Η υπόθεση που εξετάζω εδώ είναι η εξής: το χαμηλό (ή μάλλον διαφορετικό) σε γενικές γραμμές επίπεδο εξειδίκευσης των μεταναστών/τριών από χώρες του Τρίτου Κόσμου σημαίνει απαραίτητα αρνητικές επιπτώσεις της παρουσίας τους στην αγορά εργασίας και οικονομία της χώρας υποδοχής και ειδικότερα αιχμαλωσία της οικονομίας υποδοχής σε μια εντάσεως εργασίας αναπτυξιακή λογική; Η συγκεκριμένη εργασία μελετώντας μέσα από την έννοια του κοινωνικού κεφαλαίου τις συνθήκες ζωής των μεταναστών δείχνει τις στρατηγικές και τα δίκτυα με τα οποία οργανώνουν και νοηματοδοτούν την ζωή και την εργασία τους στην οικονομία και κοινωνία της χώρας υποδοχής. Όμως, αυτές οι κοινωνικές διαφορετικότητες (χρόνου, χώρου, φύλου και εθνικότητας) που χαρακτηρίζουν την εργασία τους στο μεταβατικό στάδιο που βρίσκεται η ελληνική οικονομία σήμερα, αντιμετωπίζονται συνήθως ως πρόβλημα. Η διατριβή μου εξηγεί γιατί αποτελούν μέρος της λύσης. Δείχνει, συγκεκριμένα, ότι η καινοτομία ως κινητήρια δύναμη της οικονομικής μεγέθυνσης δεν είναι συνάρτηση τόσο του επιπέδου εξειδίκευσης των εργαζομένων όσο της διασταύρωσης των κοινωνικών δυνάμεων της προσφοράς και της ζήτησης. Η σταθερότητα της αύξησης της παραγωγικότητας, με άλλα λόγια, δεν οφείλεται στο ότι όλοι κάνουν απλώς καλύτερα ό,τι έκαναν προηγουμένως, αλλά στο ότι η οικονομική δομή αλλάζει. Το στοίχημα είναι να της επιτρέψουμε και να την βοηθήσουμε να αλλάξει. Η ‘δημιουργική καταστροφή’ των κύριων κλάδων εργασίας των μεταναστών/ριών στο ‘ευέλικτο’ μεταίχμιο μεταξύ επίσημης και ανεπίσημης οικονομίας αποτελεί μια κρίσιμη ευκαιρία για ένα νέο υπόδειγμα οργάνωσης της παραγωγής και της εργασίας, για την μετάβαση σε ένα βιώσιμο σημείο ισορροπίας μεταξύ ζήτησης και προσφοράς εργασίας σύμφωνα με τις ανάγκες της αγοράς εργασίας όπως αυτές διαμορφώνονται από την διασταύρωση με δημογραφικές, κοινωνικές, οικονομικές και περιβαλλοντολογικές εξελίξεις