CONVOCATION 27 APRIL 2014: INMIGRATION IS NOT THE PROBLEM

IMMIGRATION IS NOT THE PROBLEM

“... As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.”

Virginia Woolf

Women in Black of Madrid want to denounce the migration policies of the European Union and especially those of the government of Spain.

Africa is bleeding because of wars, famine and over-exploitation of its natural resources at the hands of multi-national corporations of the West. The nearly 12,000,000 refugees in Africa are crowded into refugee camps in various regions or neighboring countries. The majority are women and children, and the females are subject to sexual violence.

Europe, however, expects that the people of Africa will endure with resignation. When they leave their own countries to seek a better life or even to be able to continue living and try to cross our borders, Europe becomes indignant, raises walls and closes its doors to protect its own territories

The recent events in Lampedusa, Ceuta and Melilla are the tip of the iceberg of an inhumane immigration strategy. The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) promotes militarization of borders and converts them into a battleground where it doesn’t matter how many victims there might be so long at it is clear that they will not be permitted to enter Europe.

The action of the Civil Guard shooting blanks and rubber bullets at the emigrants on the Tarajal Beach at Ceuta, violated the obligation to lend aid to people in a situation of danger. It was a criminal act in that the shots could have caused the deaths of 14 people. Inasmuch as many of the refugees had a right to asylum, the Government was in violation of the Geneva Convention. In declaring that the government of Spain was acting legally, Mrs. Margaret Ashton, representative of the European Union, is co-responsible for this action.

Exaggerating the number of migrants seeking to enter Spain, the Minister of the Interior is trying to frighten the public so they will approve his policy. In this way, he aspires to justify the use of cruel and brutal measures such as barbed wire fences and immediately handing over to the Moroccan police individuals who may have succeeded in crossing the border, thus eliminating the possibility of seeking asylum, which is illegal.

Women in Black:

♀ Declare our support for the NGOs, collectives and individuals involved in giving support to the migrants.
♀ Ask for an investigation and assumption of responsibility for the events described above.
♀ Demand that the Government and the European Union develop migrant policies that are more humanitarian and in accordance with human dignity.
♀ Express the need to seek actions to resist racism and xenophobia, integrating a gender perspective.
♀ Invite personal reflection on attitudes and prejudices as related to immigration and the right of all people to a life with dignity.

May we remove war from history and from our lives

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA