Concealed Chains

by Gao, Yun

• ISBN13: 9789221219934
• ISBN10: 9221219933
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-01
• Publisher: Intl Labour Organisation

Summary

This groundbreaking book exposes the hidden world of Chinese irregular migrants in France, Italy, and the UK. Chinese workers migrating to Europe pay huge sums of money to intermediaries, often leaving them trapped in debt before they even begin their journey. Exposed to various risks during their migratory process, they can arrive in the destination country vulnerable to extreme exploitation and sometimes even forced labor.The book seeks to understand the links that connect vulnerable Chinese workers to European labor markets and a complex international production chain. Presenting detailed case studies, a clear explanation of the relevant international and national legal frameworks, and an overview of the migration mechanism between China and Europe, this book makes an important contribution to understanding how to break these patterns of labor exploitation.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. v
Abbreviations	p. xiii
About the authors	p. xv
Introduction (Gao)	p. 1
Focus of research	p. 4
Structure and methodology	p. 5
Overview of content	p. 6
Migration costs and debt	p. 6
The journey	p. 7
Vulnerability in destination countries	p. 8
Working conditions	p. 9
Amnesties	p. 11
Exploitation as abuse of vulnerability	p. 12
The international legal framework	p. 13
Forced labour	p. 13
Human trafficking and smuggling of migrants	p. 15
An overview of the migration mechanism between China and Europe	p. 19
Introduction	p. 19
The re-emergence of the brokerage market: A historical review	p. 20
From snakehead to tail: The emigration brokerage hierarchy	p. 23
A highly profitable business: Debt and repayment	p. 27
Playing edge ball: Operating between regular and irregular approaches	p. 31
Exploitation of Chinese immigrants' vulnerabilities in France	p. 33
Introduction	p. 33
Methodology	p. 34
The legal and policy framework	p. 36
Human trafficking	p. 37
Forced labour	p. 37
Illegal labour	p. 38
Conditions of departure: The main triggers	p. 39
The socio-economic situation in China	p. 39
Main source areas of migration	p. 40
The journey	p. 43
Arranging and financing the journey	p. 43
Profile and typology of people smugglers/traffickers	p. 45
Risks and logistics of the clandestine journey	p. 46
The vulnerability of Chinese immigrants in the destination country	p. 50
Isolation	p. 51
The burden of debt	p. 51
Violence and racketeering	p. 56
Integration into the economy of the diaspora	p. 57
Concentration in certain economic sectors	p. 58
The ethnic Chinese niche	p. 59
Bringing workers into France legally	p. 59
Working conditions by sector of activity	p. 61
Legislation, policies and enforcement challenges	p. 70
Immigration policy and legislation	p. 70
The criminalization of human trafficking	p. 74
Measures to combat organized crime	p. 75
Efforts to combat employers using illegal labour	p. 76
The Labour Inspectorate	p. 78
The police	p. 80
Conclusions and recommendations	p. 82
Training individuals to prevent forced labour and trafficking	p. 84
Compensation for victims	p. 84
Targeted sanctions	p. 85
Opening up the ethnic niche	p. 86
Broadening access to legal work opportunities	p. 86
Training Chinese entrepreneurs	p. 87
An information campaign to prevent illegal emigration	p. 88
Exploitation of Chinese immigrants in Italy	p. 89
Introduction	p. 89
Methodology	p. 90
The legal and policy framework	p. 91
Regulating migration flowers	p. 91
The fight against trafficking	p. 95
Immigration and public opinion	p. 97
Understanding the irregular aspects of Chinese migration	p. 98
Legal investigations into trafficking and smuggling	p. 99
Smuggling as a service	p. 101
Illegal activities and risks of the journey	p. 102
The evolution of Chinese immigrants' activities	p. 105
Manufacturing activities	p. 109
Commercial activities	p. 109
Working arrangements in the Chinese ethnic niche	p. 112
Chinese workshops and pronto moda	p. 112
The organization of work in ethnic workshops	p. 113
The effect of regional origins on opportunity	p. 114
Flexibility: The compression of personal and family life	p. 115
Competition and conflict management	p. 116
Exclusion of zagong	p. 118
The adverse effects of amnesties	p. 120
Irregular workers	p. 120
The costs of legalization	p. 121
Amnesties and irregularities	p. 123
Links with local society	p. 126
Irregularities, self-exploitation and forced labour	p. 129
Irregularities in Chinese workshops	p. 129
The “Marco Polo” operation	p. 130
The spectrum of labour practices and worker vulnerability	p. 131
Between business and exploitation	p. 132
The disconnection between the journey and the workplace	p. 132
Conclusions and recommendations	p. 134
Forced labour or “extreme flexibility” in an era of globalization?	p. 135
Recommendations	p. 137
Migration journeys and working conditions of Chinese irregular immigrants in the United Kingdom	p. 139
Introduction	p. 139
Methodology	p. 140
The legal and policy framework	p. 141
Recent irregular Chinese immigration to the UK	p. 144
Pattern of immigration and background in China	p. 144
Methods of immigration	p. 148
Trafficking, abuse and deception	p. 149
Sectoral demand for irregular Chinese labour	p. 152
Insertion into the labour market	p. 152
Exploitation and working conditions	p. 157
Media reports	p. 163
Conclusions and recommendations	p. 166
Conclusion	p. 169
Bibliography	p. 177
Annex: Glossary of Chinese terms	p. 185
Index	p. 189
List of tables
Chinese workers overseas, 2004–06 (%)	p. 2
Transnational brokerage fees, 2008	p. 28
Chinese migrants region of origin	p. 42
Debt incurred by Chinese migrants	p. 53
Permanent workers of Chinese nationality entering France by legal channels, 1990 and 1999	p. 60
Convictions for assisting the legal entry or residence of a foreigner, France, 1997–2003	p. 76
Residence permits granted to Chinese citizens, Italy, 1996–2006	p. 106
Chinese operated businesses in Italy in 2005	p. 107
Chinese manufacturing activities in selected Italian regions, 2005	p. 110
Chinese non-manufacturing activities in selected Italian regions, 2005	p. 111
List of figures
Principle centres of migration	p. 42
Nationalities of employers utilizing illegal labour in the textile and garment industry, France, 2002	p. 61
Nationalities of employers utilizing illegal labour in the hotel and restaurant industry, France, 2002	p. 67
Sectors employing illegal labour in France, 2002	p. 77
Regional operation of Chinese-operated businesses, Italy	p. 108
Distribution of selected media reports	p. 164
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