Across Europe, Latin American women are coming together in myriad networks of mutual support, to face down isolation, exploitation and inadequate public services.
A migrant-led movement has used tactics from theatre to unionization to demand equal rights and dignity for those doing society’s most undervalued labor. They’ve appealed to the highest levels of EU justice and achieved major legal reforms. Yet perhaps their biggest triumph is an ongoing movement for social change powered by intersectional solidarity and care.
Blending traditions and experimenting with new combinations, a catering service that began at a refugee reception center is winning over Italian palates.
As Europe offshores border control to Libya – where horrific human rights abuses have been well documented – migrants too have been joining forces between North Africa and Italy, in a unified movement for safety and recognition under international law.
Finding a foothold in Europe can be an immense logistical, economic, social and emotional challenge, but some immigrants are finding a sense of home in communities bound by belief.
With almost a third of young Portuguese living abroad, the country’s visa options and growing recognition of foreign qualifications help keep the economy on its feet. But despite so many immigrant workers coming from Portuguese-speaking countries, their degrees still don’t have the same clout as qualifications earned in Portugal.
Despite a reputation for elevating human rights, the Dutch migrant detention system forces people into prison-like conditions without the right to work, study, or even know their release date. These environments breed isolation, mental health crises, and violence. And despite the government’s commitment to expel undocumented people, only half of deportations succeed.
College-educated migrants arriving in Italy face one of the harshest job markets in Europe. Compared to natives with similar qualifications, migrants are overqualified, underpaid, and underemployed. As a doctor from Venezuela learned, landing steady employment even in a field with shortages can be a long struggle.
