On the 5th, eleven National Assembly members from the People Power Party, including Kim Mi-ae, introduced an amendment to the Immigration Act. According to press reports, the core of the amendment is to compile and publish foreigner crime statistics by nationality and by status of stay. The bill’s statement of reasons says that its purpose is the efficient establishment and operation of immigration and foreigner policy, but publishing crime statistics by nationality through this bill would gain nothing more than incitement of hatred against migrants and the creation of groundless fear.
Under the current Immigration Act, the management of foreigners’ stay is operated so that almost no “ex-convicts” exist in Korea: a criminal record certificate from the country of origin and the country of residence is a required document in the stay review, so that persons with a criminal record cannot enter the country, and foreigners who have been sentenced to a fine above a certain amount or to imprisonment, and whose sentence has ended, are forcibly removed from the country. It is also not the case that crime statistics do not exist. The prosecution and the police already maintain crime statistics by nationality, and the crime rate of foreigners is only about half that of Korean nationals. In this situation, what is gained by publishing crime statistics by nationality? If the aim is to vary the strictness of immigration screening by country, or to block entry from a particular country because many crimes are committed by people from that country, this is discrimination based on nationality and an act that violates the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
What would happen if another country compiled statistics on crimes committed by Koreans residing in that country and published them officially? Once the accusation that Koreans are criminals begins, it could soon escalate into a diplomatic problem. Furthermore, if a country were to justify refusing the stay of Koreans on that basis, how could the harm suffered by those who wish to move for study, work or marriage be remedied? Race-based crime statistics can stigmatize a particular race and thereby encourage social discrimination against it.
One year ago, Representative Kim Mi-ae claimed that foreigners, Chinese in particular, were “taking the health insurance money and running”, and introduced an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act to apply reciprocity to national health insurance. In the area of social insurance, where social solidarity and universal application must be the natural premise, the underlying purpose of demanding that the right to health of certain migrants be given up appears to be fostering and inciting hatred against foreigners from particular countries, rather than concern over the health insurance finances.
Accurate and comprehensive statistics on the population with a migrant background are necessary. However, their purpose must be to design public social integration policy based on data needed for the settlement, adaptation and integration of migrants residing in Korea, and must not be hatred, stigma, discrimination and exclusion of foreigners. Even now, statistics on the harm suffered by migrants through violent crimes motivated by hatred, such as race, have not been built, so it is difficult to grasp through data how serious discrimination is in society. We demand that Representative Kim Mi-ae and the other sponsors immediately withdraw the Immigration Act amendment and stop inciting racial discrimination.
차별금지법제정연대, 이주노동자평등연대(건강권 실현을 위한 보건의료단체연합(건강권 실현을 위한 행동하는 간호사회, 건강사회를 위한 약사회, 건강사회를 위한 치과의사회, 노동건강연대, 인도주의실천의사협의회, 참의료실현청년한의사회), 공공운수노조사회복지지부 이주여성조합원모임, 노동당, 노동사회과학연구소, 노동전선, 녹색당, 대한불교조계종사회노동위원회, 성공회용산나눔의집, 민변노동위원회, 사회진보연대, 이주노동자노동조합(MTU), (사)이주노동희망센터, 이주노동자운동후원회, 이주민센터친구, 인권운동네트워크 바람, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 지구인의정류장, 천주교인권위원회, 필리핀공동체카사마코, 한국비정규노동센터), 사람이왔다_이주노동자차별철폐네트워크(가톨릭노동상담소, 거제노동안전보건활동가모임, 경기이주평등연대, 경북북부이주노동자센터, 경산(경북)이주노동자센터, 경주이주노동자센터, 광주전남이주노동자인권네트워크, 노동당노동위원회, 노동해방마중, 노동해방을위한좌파활동가 광주전남결집, 노동해방을위한좌파활동가 대구결집, 대구이주민선교센터, 마창거제산재추방운동연합, 민주노조를깨우는소리호각, 반월시화공단노동조합:월담, 비정규직이제그만공동투쟁, 사회주의를향한전진, 성서공단지역지회, 우리동네노동권찾기, 우리들의상호부조말랑키즘, 울산이주민센터, 이주노동자노동조합, 이주와인권연구소, 이행移⾏: 이주민 인권을 위한 행정사 모임, 인권운동공간 활, 인권운동네트워크바람, 자치와 자급, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 전남이주노동자인권네트워크, 정의당, 한국노동안전보건연구소, (사)이주와가치, (사)공감직업환경의학센터, (사)김용균재단), 난민인권네트워크, 외국인이주노동운동협의회, 인권운동네트워크 바람, 전남이주노동자인권네트워크, 경기이주평등연대, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 이주민센터 감동, 이주민센터 친구, 난민인권센터, 이주인권 셋, 아시아평화를향한이주 MAP, 착한사마리아인의집, 공익인권법재단 공감, 청소년인권행동 아수나로, 전남조선하청지회, 경북북부 이주노동자센터, 이행移行: 이주민 인권을 위한 행정사 모임, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 이주와 인권연구소, (사)아시아의 창, 이주민연대 샬롬의 집, 다산인권센터, 인권운동공간 활, 광주전남노동안전보건지킴이, 반월시화공단노동조합:월담, 우리동네노동권찾기, 공익법센터 어필, 한국노동안전보건연구소, 향린교회, 노동당 경기도당, 노동당
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