Quoted by the Doha Time, Azfar Khan, who is in Doha, Qatar to attend the “Labour market in GCC States” symposium, said that even while the issue is misinterpreted by some sections, there is no denying the fact the issue is severe in countries like Italy, France, Spain and Malta, which are flocked every year by thousands of immigrants from many parts of the world.

Advocating more control on the issue, Khan said what worries the western European countries was not the migration of qualified personnel to their territories but the movement of unskilled and under-skilled migrants from some countries. “For instance, when Germany sought the services of some 24,000 IT professionals from India a couple of years ago, there was hardly any opposition from within the country,” said Khan.

However it was another matter that most IT professionals from India turned down the offer as the job contracts offered were only temporary, added the expert. Where there is a proper policing and strict implementation of rule of law, migration is hardly an issue among the locals, said Khan.

The ILO, he said, feels that each country has a responsibility to protect the fundamental rights of its migrants and is duty-bound to ensure that they are not involved in anti-social or destructive activities. The state also has a responsibility to ensure that no harassment is meted out to migrants, said Khan.