Law Campaign
International Migrants Day 2006
Protecting their rights
18 December is International Migrants Day. On 4 December 2000, the General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day (resolution 55/93). On that day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (resolution 45/158).
Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are invited to observe International Migrants Day through the dissemination of information on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants, and through the sharing of experiences and the design of actions to ensure their protection.
The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, (the Migrant Workers Convention) came into on force on 1 July 2003. It is the seventh international human rights treaty. The current number of states that have ratified the Convention stands at 34.
The every-day reality for many migrants around the globe remains a bleak one. Vilified by politicians and the popular media, often subject to discrimination and human rights violations, many migrants continue to live their lives at the margins of societies unwilling or unable to accept or integrate them fully. In this context, the civil society and concerned people reiterates its call to all states to ratify the Migrant Workers Convention.
It has been recognized that migration has always been integral to the human condition; individuals and societies have moved in search of social, economic or cultural opportunity, or to escape the ravages of conflict and persecution. In the 21st century, this movement of people across and within state borders continues. There is no doubt that the need exists to bring an analytical spotlight to bear on the phenomenon of migration.
Compiled by Law Desk.
