An IOM Migration Profile for Argentina, published today, shows how
a country shaped by massive immigration from Europe in the
mid-1880s is one which is now having to deal with new migration
realities.

Between 1881 and 1914 more than 4.2 million people settled in
the country; amongst them 2 million from Italy, 1.4 million from
Spain, 170,000 from France, and 160,000 from Russia.  In 1914
more than 30 per cent of the population was foreign born.

This mass immigration from Europe well into the 20th Century led
to the founding of cities and towns throughout the country, the
development of industry, and the creation of multi-ethnic
communities that have created Argentina's unique national
identity.

However, in the past decade, descendants of European migrants
have been migrating, mainly to the United States and Europe. 
The number of Argentineans living abroad stands at 800,000 (28.4
per cent in Spain and 17.9 per cent in the United States).

Although remittances from Argentinean migrants represent only
0.4 per cent of GDP and totaled USD 920 million in 2007, the report
points out a 900 per cent increase in remittances between 2001 and
2007.

A concurrent phenomenon has been the arrival of mainly
working-age migrants from neighbouring countries in search of jobs
and better living conditions.  In the past few years,
favourable economic conditions and social services are prompting
thousands of Paraguayans, Bolivians, Peruvians and others to
Argentina.

According to the last census of 2001, there were 1,531,940
foreigners living in the country, representing 4.2 per cent of the
population. 

However, a regularization scheme launched in April 2006, called
"Patria Grande", facilitated the regularization of 560,131 migrants
from MERCOSUR and associated countries, including Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – the majority were from Paraguay
(50.8 per cent),  Bolivia (27.8 per cent) and 13.2 per cent
from Peru.

The majority of Peruvian and Paraguayan women work in domestic
service.  Bolivian migrants work in agriculture, service,
construction and manufacturing.  Migrants from Chile and
Uruguay work mostly in the service and retail industries while
low-skilled Brazilian migrants work in agriculture. However,
Brazilians are the most numerous among the migrants working in
high-skilled positions.

The IOM Migration Profile also reports on other facets of
migration: the growth of transnational migration; the spread of
social networks linked to migration; the increase of activities
linked to remittances; the increasing role of women in migration
flows; the creation of migrants associations; an increase in
migrant smuggling and human trafficking; forced migration; seasonal
migration; migration of the highly skilled and bilateral and
multilateral migration policies.

The report indicates that in the past few years Argentina has
become a country of origin, transit and destination for the
trafficking of men, women and minors for labour and sexual
exploitation.  The bulk of trafficking is carried out inside
the country, with movements from rural to urban areas for sexual
exploitation.  But girls and women are also trafficked to
neighbouring countries and Western Europe to work in the sex
trade.  Women and minors, mainly from Brazil and Paraguay are
trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation.  Men from
Bolivia and Peru are trafficked to Argentina for forced labour in
sweat shops and agriculture.

The profile, funded by the Sasakawa Endowment Fund, shows that
migration issues have now reached a prominent place on the
government's agenda, with progress in the design of migration
policies, including new laws (migration, refugee, and trafficking)
and in bilateral and multilateral agreements.

It also includes the latest migration data, a list of diaspora
associations, current migration-related laws, as well as a list of
international organizations and NGOs working on migration-related
issues in the country.

The IOM Migration Profile for Argentina is available in Spanish
at the IOM Website: "http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/">http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/

For more information, please contact:

Elena Solari

IOM Buenos Aires

Tel: + 54 1 14.815.51.94

Email: "mailto:esolari@iom.int">esolari@iom.int