Democratization: Migration/Freedom of Movement Main Issues k The right to free choice of place of residence: Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union more than fifteen years ago, Soviet-era civil registration regulations, known as propiska, remain largely unchanged in a number of countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Propiskabased systems restrict the freedom of individuals to choose their place of residence within their own country. This leads to the possible denial of social services, and impedes access to jobs and education. They also obstruct the participation of migrants in election processes. Moreover, the propiska system poses a significant barrier to finding durable solutions for the integration into society of migrant workers and internally displaced persons and the protection of their rights. k Integration of migrant workers into host societies: The number of migrant workers in the OSCE region is increasing. In addition to crossing borders, citizens also move to richer and more economically developed regions of their own countries and larger cities in search of jobs and better living conditions. Intolerance on the part of host societies or communities towards migrants can cause conflict and resentment, which is sometimes exacerbated by the lack of adequate legal mechanisms to guarantee protection of their rights In many countries, the successful integration of migrant workers is further hampered by the absence of ways to regularize their situation. k Cross-border co-operation on labour migration: Many migrant workers are unaware of their rights in countries of destination, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation and mistreatment. Furthermore, a lack of dialogue between countries of origin and destination means that governments are unaware of the extent of migration flows between their countries and, consequently, have inadequate migration policies in place. There is a need for co-operative mechanisms among OSCE participating States ANNUAL REPORT 2005 on the issue of labour migration to prevent discrimination, ill-treatment, and other violations of the rights of migrant workers. There is also need for continued exchanges of information between countries of origin and destination so that appropriate migration policies can be developed. Activities In 2005, the ODIHR’s activities focused on the following areas: I. Internal migration: k Assistance in reforming the propiska system; k Promoting the development of integration policies. II. Cross-border migration: k Promoting interstate co-operation on labour migration, migration-related information, and human rights of migrants. I. Internal migration Assistance in reforming the propiska system The Soviet-era propiska system — legal and administrative restrictions on the freedom of movement and the choice of place of residence, including the stamping of a citizen’s internal passport to indicate his or her permanent address — still remains a civil registration instrument in many countries of the former Soviet Union. The system requires every individual who wishes to change his or her place of residence within a particular country to obtain written permission from the state to do so. Those changing their residence without this permission can find themselves denied access to state services and may also find it impossible to exercise a number of rights, including the right to work, to enrol in a school or institution of higher education, or even the right to get married. Such restrictions clearly violate both domestic and international laws. They contravene the fundamental rights to freedom of movement and choice of place of residence enshrined in OSCE commitments. In a number of states, the propiska system played an important role in the transition to a 41