Positive response to migrants urged

A Government Minister has appealed to politicians of all parties not to exploit migration issues for "political purposes" in the general election campaign.

Minister of State for Overseas Development Conor Lenihan said migration is "a very positive thing" for Ireland and politicians must show "real leadership" on anti-racism and migration issues.

Politicians had been advised by economist Dan McLaughlin at the annual Fianna Fáil think-in in Westport that, in the context of a growing economy, there will be a pressing need for even more migrants, he said.

Mr Lenihan, who apologised in the Dáil last year to Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins for a remark exhorting Mr Higgins to "stick to the kebabs", a reference to the TD's support for Turkish workers of Gama Construction, said there was an onus on the Irish people and not just politicians to respond positively to migrants.

"It is very important we do nothing that is racist or undermines the perception and factual reality of us as a welcoming people."

He was speaking at the launch in Dublin yesterday of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) state of the world population report 2006, which focused on "Women and International Migration" and also disclosed growing numbers of young people migrating in search of work.

It highlighted the growing global problems of human trafficking and exploitation of women working in domestic service. The promotion of gender equality and poverty eradication measures were key to tackling such problems, the report urged.

"Weak multilateral co-operation and the failure to establish, implement and enforce policies . . . to protect migrant women from exploitation and abuse means that it is the most vulnerable who pay - and sometimes with their lives," it stated.

Seán Hand of UNFPA said 95 per cent of 95 million migrants worldwide are women. Although paid less than their male counterparts, they sent a much higher percentage of their earnings back to their home countries.

However, the downside of migration included the enslavement of an estimated 2.45 million trafficking victims worldwide, of whom 80 per cent are women or girls, the exploitation of domestic workers and a "brain drain" from developing countries, he said.