Page 12 - Presbyterian Connection

12
PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2021
presbyterian.ca
Human Rights for People Who are Migrants
Connection
JUSTICE
By Justice Ministries
December 18 is International Mi- grants Day and marks the date in 1990 when the United Nations adopt- ed the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Mi- grant Workers and Members of Their Families.
Canada draws temporary migrant workers through programs like the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Pro- gram and the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) to fill la- bour shortages. In 2019, there were approximately 470,000 foreign na- tional workers registered in the TFWP. Temporary employment is found in agriculture, domestic care, recrea- tion, hospitality services, retail, food and manufacturing industries.
Many migrant workers fill essential work positions in low-paying ser- vice and labour jobs. They often rely
solely on their employer for housing, access to health care and community services. Documented complaints demonstrate gruelling work and long hours. Other documented issues in- clude no access to water for agricul- tural workers, no days off, expanded duties for domestic workers. Many face exploitation and abuse without a clear path for remedy, and fear job loss or even deportation if they do complain. Few provinces have legislation to safeguard the rights of workers. Without this, migrant work- ers are vulnerable.
The impact of the COVID-19 pan- demic has exacerbated these chal- lenges. A report from the Caregivers’ Action Centre, a grassroots organiza- tion made up of former caregivers, outlines these circumstances:
“There are approximately 25,000 migrant care workers in Canada today, almost all of whom live in
employer homes. Many of us kept working during the pandemic. With schools closed and our employ- ers working from home, our work intensified immensely. But we did not get paid for all of the extra hours we worked. Some employers also refused to allow migrant workers to leave their homes. Employers were free to come and go but their employees were not. Migrant care workers, the overwhelming majority of whom are racialized women, were cut off from social and personal sup- port networks, unable to even send remittances home to families abroad in need.”
Church partner KAIROS, with fund- ing from the Government of Canada, is collaborating with local support groups to provide assistance and help for migrant workers, including personal support, language transla- tion and information about workers’ rights. You can learn about this pro- gram at kairoscanada.org/what-we- do/migrant-justice/etfw.
As a church we believe that all people are beloved of God and de- serving of dignity and respect. Yet not every person has access to physical, social, psychological and spiritual resources that are needed for human flourishing. This can chal- lenge our understanding, and our expectations, of how different people experience God’s love and justice. What do we do, as people of faith, when confronted by the brokenness of the world? What are we called to do when confronted with lived experi- ences of inequality, poverty, conflict, racism, misogyny and systemic barriers to health, safety, education, livelihood and participation in com- munity life and decision making? There are connections between the factors needed for human flourish- ing and the principles articulated by human rights. This is why it is so im- portant to talk about human rights as we make sense of the calling to “do justice” (Micah 6:8).
While some migrants move be- cause they feel “pulled” to a new place by circumstance or when seeking op- portunity, many are pushed. In 2020, according to the UN Refugee Agency, there were 281 million international migrants (those who have crossed international borders); 82.4 million were forcibly displaced because of persecution,conflict,violence,human rights violations or events seriously disturbing the public order—40 % of these displaced are children. For ty-
eight million people are internally dis- placed within their own country but forced out of their homes, and 26.4 million are refugees with special pro- tections under United Nations conven- tions, while 4.1 million were asylum seekers. Only 107, 800 refugees were resettled into new permanent homes in 2019. That number dropped to 34, 500 in 2020 because of pandemic travel restrictions.
One particular “push” factor is climate change. Rising ocean levels are forcing people of Pacific Island Nations to face the disappearance of their entire country. Where will they go? Some have sought path- ways to citizenship in neighbouring regions and have been denied. What responsibilities do we have toward people whose homes are becom- ing uninhabitable because of climate change?
Human rights conventions cannot answer all these questions, but they give us a framework for the minimum standards for the protection of human dignity and well-being. When human rights are violated or neglected, hu- man flourishing is diminished. Cana- da has not signed or ratified the Inter- national Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. As a community of faith, we can sup- port our partners like KAIROS who provide direct assistance to migrant workers and advocate that govern- ment programs meet the standards of the Migrant Workers’ Convention.
This article summarizes sections of the International Affairs Com- mittee Report adopted by the 2021 General Assembly. The complete report is online at presbyterian. ca/gao/iac. Additional information about church statements and human rights are at the Social Action Hub at presbyterian.ca/justice/social-action.
PULPIT VACANCY
Trinity Presbyterian Church Amherstview, Ontario
Trinity Presbyterian Church is waiting for someone God has called to lead us as pastor, preacher and visionary.
Our community-focused congregation is hard working, music loving and welcoming to creative expansions.
Full details about this position are available at:
presbyterian.ca/trinity-amherstview 613-279-2679