MRC Counsellor- Islamabad
ORGANISATIONAL SETTING:
The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an international organisation tasked with promoting innovative, comprehensive and sustainable migration policies. With 19 Member States and over 60 projects active throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, ICMPD is a growing and ever-more relevant presence in its field. The organisation's greatest assets are its 450+ staff members, who personify its values of commitment, integrity, partnership, respect, and innovation in actions and decisions.
Project Overview
ICMPD is inviting all interested female candidates to apply for the MRC Counsellor for the project 'Awareness raising and information campaigns on the risks of irregular migration in Pakistan' (PARIM). One component of this project aims to enhance the capacity of different groups of stakeholders in Pakistan (at provincial and district level among governmental, civil society, community leaders, diaspora and other relevant stakeholders) to raise awareness on the dangers and consequences of irregular. This position is at the Islamabad MRC.
Pakistan is among the top 10 emigration countries in the world. Notwithstanding the fact that migrant' remittances have been a major source of financial contribution to Pakistan's economy, the public is still missing general awareness on how migration works and the necessary information to be able to make informed decisions about their individual migration plans. However, it is of vital importance for Pakistan, due to the fact that the country's economy is still faced with the challenging task of creating 1.25 million jobs annually for its fast growing population and, implicitly, its labour force.
Supporting safe and legal labour migration as well as other forms of legal migration from Pakistan is a priority for the Government of Pakistan. The Government has developed an institutional framework aimed to encourage legal emigration and labour promotion, under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD).
Where the majority of the potential migrants from KPK and FATA are willing to go to the GCC countries, similarly, the majority of potential migrants from Punjab, especially Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin etc. are more interested in Europe as a destination. This is usually due to the already existing large pockets of Pakistani diaspora from these regions in countries. However, the decrease in demand for low-skilled labour in Europe has led thousands of Pakistanis to seek alternative ways of entering Europe.
Irregular channels of migration are increasingly being used more and more frequently in Pakistan. The number of underqualified potential migrants is very high in the country, with lack of information regarding the legal possibilities for going abroad. In addition to this, well organised smuggler networks provide false information to the vulnerable migrants in order to mislead them and gain more profit.
In response to these challenges, this project will focus on information dissemination and awareness raising among potential migrants in Pakistan; it will be mainly formed by a series of campaigns communicating balanced information about the dangers and consequences of irregular migration, options for legal migration, and the legal, social and economic realities of life in Europe. Embedding a behavioural approach, the campaigns will employ different channels and trusted, credible messengers to target both prospective migrants and their key influencers. At the same time, the project will build sustainable networks and platforms among different groups of stakeholders and “allies" to enhance their respective capacity in raising awareness. Understanding that effective information and awareness campaigns are built on strong background research, the project will conduct an empirical study on potential (irregular) migrants' information needs and gaps, their migration intentions, motivations and decision-making processes, their key influencers and channels likely to reach them.
Together with lessons learned from ICMPD's existing practical experience in migration awareness campaigns in Pakistan through the “Migrant Resource Centre" (MRC) approach, the knowledge gained through the research will inform the campaign design and lead to campaign activities with pre-tested messages tailored to the local context. The campaigns are planned to focus on already known (irregular) migration-prone areas in Pakistan. The project aims at empowering the Pakistani people to take an informed decision on their migration trajectory. This will be done through a mix of methods, including community engagement that leads to a dialogue on migration and allows people to ask questions and raise concerns as well as multi-media communication activities to raise awareness to a larger audience. A robust evaluation of the campaign activities will allow to adapt within the action duration and identify lessons learned for future campaigns
In this regard, ICMPD is seeking applications from qualified and results oriented female Pakistani citizens for the position of the Counsellor, Migrant Resource Centre Islamabad. The position is based in Islamabad with travel with in the Punjab and KPK.