Welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants and refugees
People have always moved away from their homes to find work or to escape war, natural disasters, poverty, persecution, inequality and hunger.
Migration has always happened and always will. It has long been a risky undertaking, which leaves many people very vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, whether they are moving inside their own countries or to new ones.
It’s thought that one in every seven people is a migrant. More and more are women – almost half of all migrants – and increasingly they are moving alone. More children are also migrating by themselves and not as part of any family group. It can be a terrifying and even deadly experience.
We recognise the bravery and strong spirit of people who want to build better lives for themselves and their families. But it wants migration to be an informed choice and campaigns for migrants to be properly protected by law. We believe in a positive view of migration – migrants should be welcomed as they bring many benefits to their host countries not just those they left behind.
“I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you clothed me” (Matthew 25:35-36)
How we works on Migration & Human Trafficking
Migrant laborers on farms or construction sites may be overworked and underpaid, domestic workers may face physical and sexual abuse and child migrants may be kept out of school and taken advantage of. The risks facing migrants are many.
Some are tricked by people they trust. They are sold into slavery or prostitution or fall prey to organized criminal gangs. Migrants can also be abused by law enforcement authorities and employment agencies.
St.Ritah Women Development Association supports migrants, upholds their rights and helps them live in dignity. It advocates for better legislation to protect them.
In its centres around the world, St.Ritah Women Development Association provides shelters, legal help and job training for migrants. It works across borders, linking support between the countries people leave and the countries they arrive in. St.Ritah Women Development Association ensures that migrants are aware of the risks before they leave home and know how to get help afterwards.
Through its advocacy and campaigns, St.Ritah Women Development Association is committed to stamping out abuse. It reminds us that migrants are part of our human family and are recognized for the positive contributions they make. We work to change laws so that migrants are treated justly and it presses for international treaties on migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and trafficked people to be adopted, ratified and implemented.
Our key areas on migration are:
The Female Face of Migration
There’s an increasing demand for female labour in many developed countries – it’s a demand which is attracting more and more women. While women may migrate to escape conflict, poverty and hunger, they may also be trying to leave behind them a lack of equal opportunity, forced marriages and oppressive cultural systems, which relegate them to being second-class citizens.
Child Migration
Many people are on the move in our world today. An unprecedented number are women and increasingly, children. It’s thought that one in every seven people is a migrant. We recognize the bravery and strong spirit of migrants who want to build better lives for themselves and their families – but it wants migration to be an informed choice and for migrants to be properly protected.
Human Trafficking
Angered by the sale of thousands of children, women and men into slavery as beggars, prostitutes and forced laborers, we fight the evil which is trafficking in human beings.