Migration and Equality

The Migration and Equality Working Group seeks to explore the complex relationship between migration, human rights, and equality. As both migration patterns and legal frameworks and policies in response to shifting political, economic, environmental, and social conditions, addressing the intersection of migration law and equality law requires closer examination. In this context, the development of  more equitable frameworks becomes more urgent than ever. 

Some of the key topics the Working Group aims to explore include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Comparative and critical perspectives on migration policies; how different countries address issues such as entry, residence and citizenship, and their impact on the inclusion of migrants; 
• Non-discrimination guarantees in border regimes;
• Crimmigration; 
• Migrants’ access to rights in health care, education, housing, social services and employment, and how national and international laws either protect or restrict these rights for migrants; access to justice and legal protection;
• Intersectionality; how race, gender, age, disability and other structural factors of inequality intersect with immigration status and affect migrants’ equal access to and enjoyment of rights in receiving countries; 
• Environmental migration and justice; 
• Collection and processing of biometric data of migrants and related forms of discrimination; 
• Exploring best practices and policies that promote the equitable participation of migrants into receiving societies, focusing on issues such as social cohesion, equal political participation and community building; 
• How legal education can promote an understanding of the significance of equality law for migration.

This WG fosters cross-border and trans-disciplinary collaborations, focusing on the ways in which migration and equality legal frameworks interact, with a particular emphasis on comparative perspectives. By drawing lessons from diverse national contexts, the WG aims to contribute to the development of research that promotes and safeguards equality for migrants worldwide.

Planned activities include:

• Organizing recurring webinars and panels at the annual conference to facilitate the exchange of perspectives and research findings among scholars working in the field; 
• Searching for funding opportunities to undertake joint research initiatives, by sharing open calls or inviting expressions of interest in partnerships;
• Disseminating research on migration and equality by sharing members’ publications related to the topic.