What do migratory monarch butterflies and jet-lag in humans have in common? We share a photoreceptor with monarch butterflies that they use to read the earth's magnetic field while they migrate and to help maintain their circadian clock function.What do migratory monarch butterflies and jet-lag in humans have in common? We share a... more
The global economic recession and deflation in oil and natural gas prices substantially slowed the UAE’s economic growth. As the country’s energy industry suffered, so did its urban development – approximately 45% of construction workers were laid off. (Agence France-Presse) In addition, many maids and nannies were laid off in to attempts to save money. As of now, thousands of Filipino migrants are jobless in the UAE. These unemployed immigrants cannot find new jobs unless their old contracts are terminated – a process that takes weeks. (Agence France-Presse) Most Filipinos wish to return home, but have insufficient funds and no passports to travel with. These workers are now living off little to nothing as vagrants in slums, without their families or freedom.
The UAE has a bad track record of supporting immigrant workers – beforehand, only a few laborers received aid out of the thousands that requested it. (Migrant Rights) In addition, not many immigrant-protective laws existed – not even a minimum wage policy. In response to the UAE’s dearth of help towards immigrants, philanthropic groups such as the Center for Migrant Advocacy have taken matters into their own hands – usually by aiding migrant workers to retrieve their passports or helping negotiate debts to employers. These organizations also have lobbied for the government to address the dire situation at hand. (Center for Migrant Advocacy) As a result, the UAE is attempting to place new immigrant-beneficial policies into effect - such as quicker employment contract terminations. (Ross) In the April of 2009, the government of the UAE presented their goal of providing 200,141 new jobs for Filipino immigrants to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – the president of the Philippines. (Libo-on) Macapagal-Arroyo and her government claim to be working with the UAE to introduce “immigrant-friendly laws” – however, both governments do not provide clear information surrounding these new policies. Even though the UAE and the Philippines seem to be trying to aid unemployed immigrants, no significant changes in their lifestyles are visible. (Migrant Rights)
The UAE is being denounced by countless humanitarian organizations and migrant rights advocates for claiming to help immigrants, but not creating any real improvements in the immigrant’s lifestyles. Johann Hari, a freelance journalist, claims that the mass layoff of immigrant workers is similar to what occurred to African slaves centuries before, who worked in harsh conditions and then were left in destitution with no opportunities to go home. He even labels the UAE as a “slave society.” However, the UAE defends these layoffs. Khalfan Al-Kaabi, a member of Abu Dhabi’s chamber of commerce, claimed that, “It is only but natural for the industry to cut those jobs.” (Agence France-Presse) In addition, The Human Rights Watch (an international welfare group) criticizes the country for “not taking any steps to put an end to [passport confiscation].” However, the Philippines has not been criticized by any philanthropic organizations as of yet, as the UAE has more responsibility over the situation, and thus, more liability.
This quandary over unemployed immigrants will become worse if no extra action is taken. It seems that as more Filipino workers wish to return home, the more false goals towards migrant aid are set. In spite of the UAE’s introduction of “new” (but vague) migrant-beneficial policies, nearly nothing is improving the jobless immigrants’ lives. Also, the consulate of the Philippines in the UAE is not providing enough help for its citizens, choosing instead to spend time protesting that they are already inundated by requests for assistance, as opposed to lobbying for their people’s rights. The Filipino government supports emigration as a means of alleviating their country’s high amount of poverty, but is not putting enough effort into ending the suffering of migrants in countries like the UAE. Sympathy must be felt towards these immigrants – they dream of better lives, but live with hardship. In the future, it is presumable that tensions will mount throughout the migrant worker community as they request for help and are essentially ignored by their respective governments. This could lead to possible protests and further rights activism by immigrants themselves.
The UAE indeed has the façade of a financially flourishing nation – but as immigrant laborers lose their jobs and live poorly, this outward appearance may begin to unravel. Filipinos remain trapped in the UAE, with hardly any opportunities to return home, but most of the world continues to be unaware of the grim situation at hand. This unfortunate situation affects not just Filipinos, but migrant workers from other poverty-ridden countries such as Bangladesh. Hopefully, governments will collaborate to support unemployed immigrants and introduce laws that can prevent another predicament similar to this from occurring again.
Works Cited
Agence France-Presse. “Massive layoffs in UAE: Report.” My Digital Financial Chronicle. N.p., 24 Dec. 2008. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Asis, Maruja. “The Philippines’ Culture of Migration.” Migration Information Source. Migration Policy Insitute, Jan. 2006. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Castles, Stephen. The Age of Migration 4th Edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print.
Center for Migrant Advocacy. “Initial Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers.” Center for Migrant Advocacy (Nov. 2008): n. pag. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Gomez, Margarita. “The Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Legacy.” Action for Economic Reforms. N.p., 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Hari, Johann. “The Dark Side of Dubai.” The Independent. N.p., 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Human Rights Watch. “Building Towers, Cheating Workers.” Human Rights Watch (Nov. 2006): n. pag. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Hylton, Hilary. “Goodbye, Houston. Hello, Dubai.” Time 14 Mar. 2007: 14-15. Print.
Irin. "Domestic Workers Face Abusive Employers." Irin. The United Nations, 2 July 2006. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Libo-on, Lily. “200,141 New Jobs for Filipinos Confirmed.” Khaleej Times 13 Apr. 2009: n. pag. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Migrant Rights. “Interview with Nick McGeehan from Mafiwasta.” Migrant Rights. N.p., 18 Jan. 2009. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Philippine Migrants Society of Canada. “Filipino Migration: A Brief History.” Philippine Migrants Society of Canada. Philippine Migrants Society of Canada, n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Ross, Brian. “Dark Side of Dubai’s Boomtown.” ABC News. N.p., 13 Nov. 2006. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Schuman, Michael. “On the Road Again: The Global Recession Scatters Workers.” Time 27 Apr. 2009: 27-28. Print.Continued from part 2.
This quandary over unemployed immigrants will become worse... more
This essay didn't fit into one post, so I've split it into multiple ones.
Most people envision the United Arab Emirates as a prosperous country, populated by some of the wealthiest people in the world. The gleaming buildings of Dubai, however, present a dark reality – they were built and are maintained by poor economic migrants who live difficult lives. Due to the global economic recession, these workers are now losing their jobs. This topic is of interest as the media rarely examines the serious effects of the global recession on immigrant workers. Filipino immigrants, for example, who make up the largest portion of migrant workers, are stranded in the UAE with little money, no passports, and virtually no help from the UAE’s government or their own consulate. Is this so different than the plight of African slaves that were trapped in a foreign land several centuries ago?
People have been voluntarily emigrating from the Philippines since the 1970s – a time when well paying jobs became scarce due to a growth in population and poor economic management by the Filipino government. (Asis) Poor uneducated citizens, concerned with push factors such as a lack of jobs, slow urban development, and uneven wealth distribution, emigrated overseas in search of better wages and better overall life quality. (Philippine Migrants Society of Canada) In fact, the Filipino government encouraged emigration, in an effort to alleviate the large amounts of domestic job-seeking citizens. (Castles, pg. 323) Immigration to the UAE first started when the country became wealthy due to the discovery of large pockets of crude oil and natural gas. (Time, “Goodbye, Houston. Hello, Dubai”, pg. 14) As the energy industry of the UAE made it an economic giant, employment-seeking Filipinos noticed. Attracted by the pull factors of massive urban development and the prospect of an improved lifestyle, Filipinos emigrated to the UAE en masse. However, imperfections in this emigration flow quickly surfaced. Many perspective migrants unknowingly signed contracts with dubious employment agencies and found themselves thrust into situations completely different from what they had expected. Workers were assigned to work in dangerous construction projects and abusive households for up to 17 hours a day. (Irin, "Domestic Workers Face Abusive Employers") In addition, employment firms coerced the immigrants to pay debts of thousands of dollars in order to pay for their travel – despite earning only on average $175 monthly. (Human Rights Watch, pg. 7) After the immigrants realized that promises of higher wages were fallacious, they had no opportunities of leaving the UAE – their passports were confiscated when they entered the country by those untrustworthy employment agencies. (Human Rights Watch, pg. 38) These immigrants could not depend on any type of aid from UAE or the Filipino consulate, as both claimed to be overwhelmed by requests for financial and legal assistance. Nevertheless, thousands of economic migrants still flock to the UAE out of desperation for money, unaware of the consequences, and many are too poor to gain access to electronic or written sources that could inform them of the poor life quality other migrants have. (Time, “On the Road Again: The Global Recession Scatters Workers,” pg. 28)
This study found a striking correlation between latitude and predation risk: For each 1° increase in latitude, the relative risk of predation declined by nearly four percent. Stated another way, the eggs in the northern nests were 65 percent less likely to be eaten than those in the south.This study found a striking correlation between latitude and predation risk: For each... more
Until recently, only larger birds could be followed on their journeys, but thanks to new microtechnology, it is now possible to track much smaller birds, such as the diminutive Arctic Tern. Data collected by these new devices show that these birds travel an average of 70,900 km each year, confirming that Arctic Terns really are the world's champion commuters.Until recently, only larger birds could be followed on their journeys, but thanks to... more
Cheetah, killer whale, Arctic tern. The latter may sound an unlikely contender for nature’s greatest athlete, yet the small but elegant seabird migrates more than 50,000 miles every year — the longest trek of any creature, according to research.
The Arctic tern breeds as far north as the Arctic before flying tens of thousands of miles to Antarctica and back within a single year. By moving between Arctic and Antarctic summers, the bird sees more daylight than any other creature on Earth.
Until now, the birds had only ever been tracked as far as South Africa, through traditional bird ringing studies. “After that we lost them and we had no idea of how they got back up north,” said Carsten Egevang, of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Nuuk, who led the research.
Using miniature geolocators to track 11 Arctic terns from colonies in Iceland and Greenland, Dr Egevang and colleagues were able to follow the birds’ complete route for the first time.Cheetah, killer whale, Arctic tern. The latter may sound an unlikely contender for... more
While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed sudden explosions of dragonflies at certain times of year. He explains how he carefully tracked the path of a plain, little dragonfly called the Globe Skimmer, Pantala flavescens, only to discover that it had the longest migratory journey of any insect in the world.While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed... more
The Pacific islands of Kiribati were among the last places to be colonized by humans. But now, because of rising sea levels, they may be among the first to be abandoned. Should Kiribati President Anote Tong surrender to climate change and evacuate? Can anything be done to help him buy more time?The Pacific islands of Kiribati were among the last places to be colonized by humans.... more
Every autumn, more than 5 billion birds migrate across North America, crossing the U.S. at rates of tens of millions a day. Despite what most people think, birds don’t migrate because the weather is getting too cold, but because they can’t find enough to eat. As winter settles in, insects die and a mantle of snow and ice covers other food sources. Birds with a steady food supply, such as city pigeons, will often remain where they are; others head south when frost threatens.
Bird migrations are facing growing harm from human impacts, especially habitat destruction that inhibits their ability to find sufficient nesting and feeding grounds for stopovers along their route. Climate change is also disrupting bird migration patterns. However, there are still outstanding places to watch them as they congregate during their annual journeys. You don’t have to be a “birder” to be moved by the spectacle of hundreds, even thousands, of birds massed together feeding or taking to the air in synchronized flight.
Seferino Cortes has lived his life at the foot of Illimani, one of Bolivia's tallest snow-capped peaks, tending cattle, fruit trees and fields of maize, beans and potatoes.
But in a few decades he and his family expect to have to abandon their land and move on. Illimani's glaciers, which provide his community's water, are shrinking fast as winter snowfall plummets, and are now expected to vanish within 40 years.
"We live from Illimani," said the soft-spoken 45-year-old farmer, who attended international negotiations in Barcelona this week aimed at creating a new global climate change pact.
"Without it, with what water will we irrigate our fields, wash ourselves and our clothes, water our animals?" he said. "If there is no water, we will have to leave our place. We will be forced to abandon our community, our culture and custom."
As the effects of climate change take hold around the world, countries, research institutions and international agencies are debating how to handle what is expected to become a trickle and perhaps eventually a flood of climate migrants.
A few nations are including migration as part of their national plans of adaptation to climate change. For many others, it remains a politically perilous subject.
Curry may be the national dish but the government are stopping the chefs who make the best from coming to the UK. The draconian points based system is now turning thousands away and making many ineligible to stay. The UK Borders Police are using their increasing powers to raid and round up more people – including chefs, their families and ‘ethnic’ diners in restaurants. On the streets of East London, the public and restaurant managers are disgusted and WORLDwrite demands we let everyone in.Curry may be the national dish but the government are stopping the chefs who make the... more
French riot police have begun an operation to dismantle the "jungle", a network of makeshift camps on the northern Channel port of Calais, where some 200 illegal migrants, mostly Afghans, gathered to try to gain passage to Britain....
From France24French riot police have begun an operation to dismantle the "jungle", a... more
A buffalo overturns furniture with the nudge of its massive head; a mountain lion tears into a bedspread; a beaver plods across a tile floor and angles its face beneath the faucet in a bathtub. (Shot on location across the country, the film presented an unusual array of logistical challenges -- "I think there were a few hotels that thought we were making adult films or something," Aitken says -- but there were, surprisingly, no disasters.)A buffalo overturns furniture with the nudge of its massive head; a mountain lion... more
French immigration minister Eric Besson has announced he will clear the makeshift tents in Calais known as the jungle. This report by Onyeka Igwe, reveals the true hell of the Calais ‘jungle’ and the incredible journeys migrants have made to get there. Besson claims clearing the ‘jungle’ is a humanitarian action, but this report tells a different tale and makes the case for Open Borders. Besson’s disgraceful initiative to preserve UK border controls is guaranteed to provide further hell for the aspirant young migrants whose only crime is wanting to make a better life for themselves. Besson is not offering migrants accommodation but is promising repatriation. Humanitarian? We don’t think so.
This report is produced by WORLDwrite.French immigration minister Eric Besson has announced he will clear the makeshift... more
A mass hunger strike by families detained at Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire has been met with violent assaults on men, women and children by Serco security guards who mange the prison on behalf on the UK Border Agency. The detainees started the hunger strike on Monday and staged a sit-in in the corridor over their inhumane conditions.
Meanwhile in Brook House, the newly opened detention centre at Gatwick airport, a 'disturbance' broke out on 12th June and a fire was set by rioting detainees in the exercise area causing some damage.
A solidarity protest outside Serco's offices in London (22 Hand Court, Holborn, WC1V 6JF) took place in support of the Yarl's Wood hunger strikers on Friday, 19th June, from 12noon.
Mothers and Fathers at the SERCO-run Yarl's Wood detention centre near Bedford are in the second day of a hunger strike against inadequate medical care, problems over food provision and the continued detention of children there. Since opening in 2001, the Bedfordshire detention centre has been plagued by hunger strikes, self-harm incidents, a suicide and riots. It was severely damaged by fire during disturbances in 2002.
The provision of health care at Yarl's Wood has been the subject of concern and criticism for many years. In 2006 a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons found that "systems were inadequate and the healthcare service was not geared to meet the needs of those with serious health problems or ... detainees held for longer periods for whom prolonged and uncertain detention was itself likely to be detrimental to their well being." And that "the delivery of healthcare was undermined by a lack of needs assessment, weak audit and clinical governance systems, inadequate staff training in relation to trauma. Mental health care provision was also insufficient."
At that time Yarl's Wood was managed by GSL and health care was sub-contracted out to another private company, Veritas, who were not registered with the Healthcare Commission unlike all public sector health care providers. GSL subsequently lost their contract to run the detention centre to SERCO, with the health care to be provided by a subsidiary SERCO Health. Following the change over, health care provision was again criticised by the Prison's Inspector in 2008 as patchy and that there were no specialist health services for children.
In a report entitled The Arrest and Detention of Children Subject to Immigration Control, written by the Children's Commissioner for England Alan Aynsley-Green, one of the key findings was "substantial evidence that detention is harmful and damaging to children and young people" and that children held at Yarl's Wood regarded it as little more than a prison. Health care provision for minors was again criticised with "particular areas of concern are: the recording and availability of patient information; provision of follow-up care; delivery of immunisations; inadequacy of clinical care; poor care provided to children and adults with mental health needs; and consideration before removal of healthcare needs thereafter." Also criticised was the service to pregnant women.
The main conclusion of the report was that the UK should end the practice of detaining children in immigration prisons in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet the practice continues, as does the criticisms of heath care provision at the detention centre. In yesterday's Daily Mail (of all places!) an article blew the story of the latest protests inside Yarl's Wood, with numerous detainees willing to go on the record with their complaints: a mass outbreak of a virus amongst the children; an epileptic woman who suffers multiple seizures (up to 6 a day) who only has a 14 year old son to look after her who was accused of 'faking it' by staff; pregnant women, some with complications, detained with a total disregard of their well-being; the list goes on. (See also)
One woman was even forced to dial 999 when her five-month old son's temperature shot up and the medical staff at the centre ignored her requests for medical care. "He was really sick and he'd never been in that condition before. I tried telling the staff, and the staff were calling the health care but no one was coming."
A mass hunger strike by families detained at Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire has been met with violent assaults on men, women and children by Serco security guards who mange the prison on behalf on the UK Border Agency. The detainees started the hunger strike on Monday and staged a sit-in in the corridor over their inhumane conditions.
Meanwhile in Brook House, the newly opened detention centre at Gatwick airport, a 'disturbance' broke out on 12th June and a fire was set by rioting detainees in the exercise area causing some damage.
A solidarity protest outside Serco's offices in London (22 Hand Court, Holborn, WC1V 6JF) took place in support of the Yarl's Wood hunger strikers on Friday, 19th June, from 12noon.
![Migratory Monarch Butterflies 'See' Earth's GeoMagnetic Field [pics, video]](http://i2.crtcdn.net/images/spacer.gif)
