English 
Polish 
Lithuanian 
Portuguese 
Romanian 
Mandarin 
Arabic 
French 
Hindi 
NICEM Opens Belfast Migrant Centre
PRESS RELEASE
7 December 2010
NI COUNCIL FOR ETHNIC MINORITIES OPENS BELFAST MIGRANT CENTRE
A vital Belfast support centre where people from ethnic minority communities can report hate crime and get other support was officially opened today (Wednesday 8 December 2010).
The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM) unveiled the new offices of the Belfast Migrant Centre, funded with £424,276 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme. Belfast Lord Mayor Pat Convery, Alison Fraser, Big Lottery Fund Deputy Director Head of Programmes, and Patrick Taran of the International Labour Organization expressed their support for the work of the Centre by attending the event. The launch was also attended by Alan Shannon, Permanent Secretary, Department for Employment and Learning, which has responsibility for employment relations legislation for all workers, including migrant workers, and also is the lead Department on the NI Migrant Workers Thematic Sub-Group.
Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Pat Convery, applauded the Belfast Migrant Centre for bringing a unique service to Northern Ireland's minority ethnic communities.
"This will also benefit local businesses and service providers by breaking down language barriers, promoting dialogue and mutual understanding," he said. "It will also allow victims to report racial discrimination and hate crime confidentially, so that they can receive the help they need to rebuild their lives."
The Belfast Migrant Centre, established under the organisation’s Welcome House project in Belfast City Centre, is a central advice and support centre for people from ethnic minority communities in Belfast and across Northern Ireland.The Welcome House Project is a consortium of the Irish Congress of Trade Union, UNISON, Polish Association Northern Ireland and NICEM.
The centre, based at Shaftesbury Square, is a ‘one-stop shop’ providing people with support and guidance on immigration matters, and economic and social rights such as support in finding jobs, making doctor’s appointments, and registering for houses, schools and benefits. Crucially, it is also a place where people from ethnic minority communities can come to report hate crime and discrimination in confidence and receive help.
NICEM Executive Director Patrick Yu explained that levels of hate crime against people from ethnic minority communities are increasing because of the impact of the recession.
“We have a huge influx of migrant workers coming to Northern Ireland. They are looking for jobs and they see the peace process developing, so they see this as a good place to live,” said Patrick.
“The economic downturn is causing some to go back home, but there are still 35,000 migrants living in Northern Ireland. However, levels of unemployment among the migrant community in Northern Ireland are three times higher than in the local community.”
“Migrants often don’t understand the system when they come here. And now they are facing the recession and they are dealing with discrimination and employment rights issues, they are being sacked because they don’t know their rights, and they are dealing with increasing harassment in the workplace.”
“When a recession hits, people start to blame migrants for the country’s problems, asking ‘who are they and why are they taking all our jobs?’ There have been high profile racist attacks in Belfast over the last years: at the match between Poland and Northern Ireland, and during the Roma crisis in June last year.
“And we will also carry out research into what’s needed in the future and how the policy for migrant ethnic groups needs to change. We are going to develop a centre that will help people settle down and integrate into the wider society in Northern Ireland.”
Frank Hewitt, Big Lottery Fund NI Chair, said: “The Reaching Communities programme is a very important part of our work in NI, ensuring that lottery cash reaches strong projects led by the voluntary and community sector that have a real and lasting impact on people lives.
“NICEM’S Belfast Migrant Centre will be supporting marginalised people within our society.”
Follow NICEM on Twitter
News from the Assembly