A/51/301 English Page 12 A. The worldwide immigration crisis 19. The international community has endeavoured to organize the worldwide movements of goods, services, currencies and information without taking account of the simultaneous movements of people. As a result, it is now faced with problems in regulating migratory flows from the poorest regions to the most prosperous, as well as with the settlement of immigrant populations. The problem is a worldwide one: in Africa, America, Asia, Europe or the Pacific, men and women who, looking for a better life, have set out in search of a place in the global village are impeded by discriminatory barriers. Their fundamental rights, such as the right to freedom of movement, the right to leave any country, the right to marry and to choose a spouse are increasingly subject to regulations which refer directly or indirectly to their racial identity and national or ethnic origin, or to preference for nationals. All over the world, immigrants have become easy scapegoats and sacrificial victims of the economic crisis. Described as illegal immigrants or seen as responsible for all the problems of the societies in which they live (crime, unemployment, social security deficits), such people have an increasingly precarious existence whether they have entered a country legally or illegally. 20. In Asia, intraregional migration creates tension between countries of emigration (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka) and host countries (Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand), because of the way in which the citizens of the former are treated. 4/ A great proportion of immigrants from those countries consists of women, who are particularly subject to double discrimination, that is, both as women and as migrants. A study by the International Labour Office, based upon a number of reliable sources, contained the following observations: "Asian female labour migration is strongly characterized by the concentration in a very limited number of female-dominated occupations: as domestic workers, entertainers (often a euphemism for prostitutes), helpers in restaurants and hotels, assembly line workers in labour-intensive manufacturing (...). "Study after study has highlighted the plight of female migrants in these occupations, especially domestic service and prostitution. The domestic helper embarks on an overseas stint holding on to a domestic helper contract which is more often than not violated or substituted with discriminatory and unfair employment conditions, specifically depressed wages. Domestic workers are usually paid sub-standard salaries which are sometimes delayed or withheld, days off are not observed, food is inadequate, accommodations are unsafe and uncomfortable, medical benefits are denied, mobility is limited. Numerous cases of maltreatment, sexual harassment and abuses, excessive workload, working for an extra household, are likewise noted. The high incidence of non-completion of contracts and premature returns, especially among women migrating to the Middle East, has been interpreted as indicative of the stressful nature of their situation. A Middle East Watch report estimated that for the 12 months beginning in May 1991, 1,400 Filipino domestic servants and hundreds of Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan maids sought refuge in their home embassies. /...