Over the past few decades, immigration has increased as people around the world search of better opportunities in different nations. However, not all host nations have been welcoming to these immigrants. In some cases, immigrants have been subjected to biased attacks, discrimination, abusive detention conditions, and denial of due process during the deportation proceedings.
In light of this sad state of affairs, human right organizations, as well as concerned parties have launched various campaigns in a bid to facilitate the protection of immigrants’ rights. Despite their efforts, most immigrants still face grave injustices in various host nations.
This paper will provide recommendations on how best the rights of immigrants can be protected all over the world. This will be done by suggesting various citizenship and immigration policies that might be implemented by governments (local and international) in order to protect immigrants.
In most cases, immigrants settle in a host nation for social and economic reasons. Despite how they are treated, they play a pivotal role in the economic development and cultural enrichment of the host nation. With this in mind, their rights should be protected, not only because they contribute to the social and economic growth of a country, but because they are human beings. As such, policies that protect the political, social, economic, civil and cultural rights of immigrants should be developed and implemented in all countries around the world.
Economically, governments should implement policies that guarantee fair employment, wages and benefits to immigrants. This can be done by enacting laws that advocate for equality within the employment sector. If this is done, immigrants will be able to access decent jobs with better salaries and wages.
Similarly, there should be laws that prosecute those that discriminate immigrants during the employment process. If such policies are implemented, immigrants will be able to live in their host nations freely without the fear of being discriminated or mistreated by the local citizenry.
Politically, immigrants that have stayed in a host nation for a long time without incidence should be granted citizenship. Policies dictating how immigrants can gain citizenship should be developed and implemented. This will ensure that immigrants work for their status and eventually earn their right to make an impact in the development of the host nation through voting.
Socially, governments should develop educational programs, which seek to educate immigrants about different aspects of the host nation. For example, learning the local languages, etiquette and mannerism may help an immigrant settle faster and peacefully in a new environment.
Such a policy will ensure that immigrants understand the standards and systems of operations within the host nation, thereby enabling them to integrate and transition smoothly into the new society. In addition, programs that guarantee the right to education, medical care and insurance, and other public services should be developed and maintained in all nations. This will ensure that immigrants get the opportunities they need to survive and work in host nations.
Civil policies that seek to protect immigrants against violence, hate crime, torture and unlawful acts form people within the host nation should be implemented by the governments. In addition, these policies should ensure that immigrants are given equal rights when it comes to dealing with the law. As mentioned earlier, immigrants should at all times be treated as human beings. As such, the implementation of civil policies will protect immigrants against the violation of their civil and human rights.
Human societies are forged by cultural beliefs. As such, each person has a right to practice his/her culture without restrictions. Cultural policies, which allow immigrants to maintain and practice their own cultures, should be developed and implemented by governments all over the world. This will grant immigrants freedom from forced cultural assimilation.
In most cases, conflict arises when an individual feels threatened by prevailing circumstances. If a person’s culture is not welcomed in a host nation, there is bound to be some difficulty in the assimilation process. As such, cultural policies will enable immigrants to maintain their cultural beliefs and adopt those that help them integrate efficiently within the host nation.
These policies should be implemented at a national and international level. While there may be challenges in the implementation process, governments should remain vigilant because the benefits of such policies far outweigh the costs. For example, trade policies as well as international relations policies have been effective in influencing the protection of human rights all over the world.
These policies dictate that a country should not have human rights violations if it is to trade or form relations with other countries. As such, countries that violate human rights have been forced to change their systems because they need the business and allies in order to survive.
Conclusively, we live in a global community, whose survival depends on our ability to work together regardless of our differences. Implementation of such policies will help nations all over the world achieve this aim. Failure to protect the rights of immigrants may lead to civil unrest, which may result to decreased national development in many countries around the world.