· December, 2012

Stories about Migration & Immigration from December, 2012

Promiscuity: The Image of Brazilian Women Abroad?

  30 December 2012

On a television program in Portugal, the president of the Portuguese Bar Association claimed "one of the things Brazil has most exported is prostitutes, among other things." Online responses have been fierce, and the polemical statement is raising questions about the images and stereotypes of Brazilian women abroad.

Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Singapore

  23 December 2012

Singapore turned away 40 Rohingya shipwreck survivors who were rescued by a Vietnamese ship. Singapore netizens and human rights groups reacted strongly to the decision of authorities to send away the refugees.

Caribbean: What Happened in 2012 (Part 1)

  19 December 2012

This year, events in the regional blogosphere were curiously bookended by hunger strikes. Part 1 of this 2012 recap takes a look at the topics that most shaped online discussion in the Bahamian, Cuban and French-speaking Caribbean blogospheres.

The Elusive Quest for Peace with the M23 in the DRC

  18 December 2012

The current conflict in the Kivu Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatens to linger on despite an international effort to broker a truce between the M23 rebellion and the Congolese government. The conflict is difficult to grasp, because the M23 rebellion has been a shifting movement, both geographically and politically.

Immigrants March for Equal Rights in Brazil

  17 December 2012

On December 2, a protest organised by foreigners residing in São Paulo took to the streets demanding full access to basic rights like health, security and decent work. The participants were Latin Americans and Africans who live in the city, and are fighting for their rights to be recognised by the Brazilian state.

Chinese Youth Association of France Sues Magazine for Racial Defamation

  17 December 2012

We are flabbergasted that the (French magazine) Le Point would stigmatize in such manner a category of the French population in the article “The intriguing success of Chinese people in France” [..] No, not all Chinese Frenchmen are criminals. No, not all Chinese Frenchwomen are prostitutes. They are french citizens like any other citizens. The Chinese Youth...

Kuku's Case Reignites Racism Debate in Portugal

  12 December 2012

The recent acquittal of a police agent who shot and killed a 14-year-old boy named Kuku in a neighborhood of the outskirts of Lisbon in 2009 reignited the debate about racism and marginalized communities in Portugal, as well as multiplied the number of social media commentary repudiating the Portuguese judicial system.

Chinese-American Children Left Behind in China

  12 December 2012

Left-behind children is a term to describe a special group of children who are left in rural areas while their parents work as migrant workers in big cities in China. However, in Fujian province in Southern China, there are about 10,000 left-behind foreign children whose parents are illegal immigrants to other...

Fighting Deportation in the U.S.

  8 December 2012

The national "We Belong Together" campaign is compiling testimonies in response to the passing of new immigration laws in the U.S. and addressing the prejudices they perpetuate.

Spain: Young Emigrants Have “Spirit of Adventure”

  8 December 2012

Marina del Corral Téllez, the Secretary General of Immigration and Emigration of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, has been in the spotlight thanks to certain statements which have inflamed social media with indignant messages. Del Corral states that the emigration of Spanish youth is due not only to the crisis currently hitting the country, but to their "youthful drive for adventure."

Italy: Governement and Immigration – plenty of words, less action

  5 December 2012

According to Stefano Femminis (popoli.info [it]), the current Monti government has shown more talk than actual action in regard to immigration, and the followings are emphasised [it]: The situation remains the same as an year ago: expensive and unnecessary “human dumps” that in fact function as prisons for people that...

Brazil: Humanities Students Claim Right to Study Abroad

  4 December 2012

The announcement to exclude the humanities in the new government notice outlying the official rules for application to the federal program to send Brazilian university students abroad, Ciência Sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders), published November 20, 2012, infuriated a number of students who have created an online campaign to reverse the decision.

Brazilian Immigration Policy Faces New Challenges

  3 December 2012

Whereas the subject has long been debated in Europe and the USA, the issue of immigration has only recently gained prominence in Brazil. This new Brazilian reality throws up a series of new challenges both for Brazilian society and the government.

Italy: Clandestines in prisons without dignity

  2 December 2012

Explaining why 35,6% out of the prison population is constituted of immigrants, according to  “Without Dignity” : The Observatory report [it] of the Antigone association, the website cronachediordinariorazzismo.org writes [it]: The presence of foreigners in Italian prisons is mostly due to recent charges in immigration laws, that effected greater flows...