Around our globe today, millions of people are on the move - living or trying to live in countries not their own. In some cases, this movement is voluntary. People move across borders for work, education or family reasons. In many more cases, the migration is forced, as people flee civil unrest and war, or search for adequate agricultural land or employment simply for survival.

In recent years, the displacement of people has accelerated. At the same time, the typical response to migrants and other displaced people has deteriorated from acceptance and assistance to hostility and rejection.

The fundamental human rights of migrants are too easily violated or ignored. This is most true for those who do not qualify within one of the categories (e.g. citizen, refugee, registered foreign worker, student) that normally secure people legal protection. The violation of their rights contributes to increasing social disintegration and declining respect for the rule of law.

There is more need than ever before to promote the development and application of international standards which underline a fundamental fact: migrants' rights are human rights.

Recognizing the need to explicitly define and uphold the human rights of migrants, the United Nations created the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. It was approved on 18 December 1990 by the UN General Assembly and entered into force on 1 July 2003.

 

 

 

 

 

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