On the occasion of International Migrants Day, observed on December 18, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) called for alternative policies and lasting solutions to protect the migrants' rights, expressing rejection of current policies, laws and practices against migrants. The FTDES considers in a press release, that Tunisian migrants in Europe are facing rising racism and Islamophobia, as well as restrictive laws that restrict their rights. They are also victims of "hate campaigns by fascist and racist political groups." Tunisian undocumented migrants in Italy, France and Germany are targeted by collective expulsions without sufficient legal guarantees to challenge their expulsion decisions, and this is done under bilateral agreements signed by various governments. "Migration policies in Europe, the Mediterranean and Tunisia regularly and deliberately violate human rights and the rights of migrants, in particular the most vulnerable groups," the same source reads. The FTDES denounc es in this regard, the normalisation of the death of migrants at sea, at borders and in desert, and the deprivation of their right to life. It further called for the need to ensure that security considerations do not take precedence over human rights, and that any policy or cooperation on migration must give priority to protecting the lives and human rights of migrants. The FTDES also affirmed commitment to the elimination of all forms of discrimination, especially those based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, opinion or politics, and to full respect for the dignity of every migrant, regardless of their colour, sex, religion or administrative situation. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse