A DISCUSSION ON THE COMPLEX PROTECTION OF MIGRANTS’
III. Evaluation and recommendations for establishing educational program me with focus on migrants’ rights
Focusing on the premises that a migrant is first a human being and then a migrant worker, both utterly different categories protected by two sets of legal and conventional instruments, allows for the diversification of approaches when the discipline is introduced in official and non-official education. The scope of the research i.e. the extent to which the category of general migrants and especially mi- grant workers is thought at university level and higher educational institutions in the Slovak Republic has shown limited level of instruction on the protection of this population that is internationally growing. Somewhat bigger is the extent of education that explains the diverse status of refugees and asylum seekers, and that might be a result to the better defined policy towards refugees and asylum seekers of the Slovak Republic unlike the current effective migration policy.
The evaluation of the current stand in the field of provided education for the protection of the human rights for migrant workers and their families, for refugees and asylum seekers, for trafficked persons, imminently children and women and smuggled migrants in higher educational institutions in the Slovak Republic in general is poor. None of the previously mentioned institutions have went insofar to dedicate a course that would be focused only on teaching the instruments for the protec- tion of human rights applicable in the sphere of migrants’ rights in general. Even though the Slovak Republic is a proud signatory of most of the international instruments that protect and guarantee migrants’ rights as well as human rights, their education is not coherent and consistent with the needs of the society.
Compared to other European countries and world-wide where programmes concerning human rights are to the very detail worked through, established for more than half century, and have given the world the brightest human rights experts, which further on only contributes for the better repu- tation of the States themselves in protecting human rights (e.g. Sweden), Slovakia is just a beginner with no structured plan for future development in this area.
In order to be an efficient provider of a course concerning the protection of migrants’ rights there are two pre-conditions to be fulfilled. The need of staff with expertise and sensitivity to the issue needs to be present, thus the education of those interested in the topic, should be highly supported via grants, scholarships and research trainings which would contribute to their advanced level of in- structions following that they have a course dealing with this complex protection regime. The same grants and scholarships should be provided to the institutions that want to provide this education, i.e. the grants and scholarships to be used in providing the necessary literature for the respective migrant right. The second pre-condition is the peculiarity of the form and method of education of this type of course. The complex protection system that is thrown upon the status of a migrant, following their precarious position in society calls for a careful approach and diverse methods of communication in order to assist them in the protection of their rights. Students need to be given the chance to be in touch with real-life stories in which they underline the vulnerability of the group they are dealing with.
Seen from the table 2 and 3, an immaculate need for a centre/a programme specialized in educa- ting human rights protection exists. A centre that would offer a cross-section education in which for example the dichotomous aspect of migration is captured will provide for the enlarged level of exper-
tise of those who teach human rights and those who are being thought. As it is often emphasized that official education comes from the heads above, it is necessary to have people/ political structures/ ministry employees closely acquainted with the concerns rising from the appropriate/misappropriate human rights protection and dealings. The rhetoric that these officials echo through their political governance methods, representations in international bodies has often resulted in a less successful representation of the Slovak Republic in turns of protection of human rights. In light of this know- ledge all investments made in improvement the overall hu-man rights understanding through edu- cation will contribute not only to the growth of the nation as a more tolerant and internationally we- lcoming state, but will also result in improving the reputation of a foreign sceptic and phobic country. International migration does not stop as we speak, but it establishes itself everyday more and more in the core of all ties established through the presence of multinational companies, through the in- stitutions of the EU and the UN, to name only few, through the international responsibility to admit refugees and asylum seekers, through the criminalization of trafficking and smuggling. Establishing a programme that would support the education of how to protect migrants’ rights will represent only a step forward for the whole Slovak Republic.
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