Information
| Published date | 01 October 1988 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1988.tb00667.x |
| Date | 01 October 1988 |
In
formation
EIGHTH ICM SEMINAR ON ADAPTATION AND
INTEGRATION
OF
MIGRANTS
Geneva,
I
3'h-16'h
September
1988.
The Eighth ICM Seminar
on
Migration took
place in Geneva from
I3
to
16
September
1988
with more than
I50
participants, representing
46
different governments,
10
international
governmental organizations and
17
non
governmental organizations, discussing the
theme 'Impact of Migration
on
Social
Structures'.
The debates of the three sub-themes of the
seminar: the social effects of migration in
countries of origin; the social effects of
migration in receiving countries; and the effects
of migration
on
family structure, were opened
by experts who presented papers prepared for
the seminar.
A
total of fifteen international
experts
on
migration, representing five
different continents, took part in the
presentations and the ensuing discussions.
Debates at the seminar focused mainly
on
migration which occurs for economic reasons,
as opposed to migration resulting from
persecution, war,
or
natural disaster. They
proceed from a starting point of general
agreement that the basic cause of migration is
differing demographic and economic
conditions and opportunities between countries
of origin and receiving countries, including
unemployment and low economic standards in
sending countries compared with labour
demand and higher wages in receiving
countries. It was noted that the effects of
migration
on
the social structures of countries
of origin were difficult to establish in view of the
lack
of
adequate data
on
the subject and, also,
that the international community was barely at
the beginning of understanding the social
effects of migration
on
receiving countries.
Concerning the effects of migration
on
family
structure, it was underlined that receiving
countries need to implement integration
policies involving the whole family group and
covering problems of housing, everyday life,
cultural activity, vocational training, social
security and religious tolerance.
The statement by guest speakers, the expert
papers presented and the summaries and
conclusions adopted by the seminar, as well as a
list of documents and a list of participants, will
be published in a special issue of
International
Migration
in June
1989.
475
To continue reading
Request your trial