1.
Migration is a global phenomenon shaped by wider economic, social and political
processes. Hence, policy discussions about migration must be located within a
normative framework that recognizes the full range of all human rights of all
people.
2.
Regional and sub-regional cooperation arrangements are vital in promoting
human rights in advancing dignity and justice for all migrants. At the same time,
it is also vital that all countries move toward ratifying the Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and their Families to ensure that
national and regional policies are consistent with international standards.
Countries of origin, transit and destination all have significant obligations toward
the protection of rights of all migrants.
3.
In Asia, cross-border mobility and migration have greatly increased. Across the
region men, women and children migrate in search of livelihood and
opportunities to escape impoverishment and all forms of deprivation. A large
number of migrants are extremely vulnerable to human rights violations owing to
their irregular status, whether they migrate in connection with employment,
marriage or otherwise.
4.
While several international forums have addressed the issue of the human rights
of migrants, they are ultimately realized at the national level. NHRIs thus have a
key role to play with respect to protecting and promoting the rights of migrants
not only in terms of filling the domestic protection gaps but also in terms of
serving as a critical link between migrant communities, the state and international
human rights mechanisms. There have been many processes and initiatives across
Asia on this subject but the challenges remain significant. Thus, a renewed
commitment is required.
5.
Migration gives rise to a range of civil, cultural, economic, political and social
rights concerns of particular relevance not only to migrant communities
themselves but also to the wider society in countries of origin, transit and
destination.
6.
Migrant communities; national, regional and international human rights
mechanisms; governments and public authorities in countries of origin, transit
and destination; private and public sector employers in the formal and non-formal
sectors; and civil society organizations are important stakeholders in the process
of securing migrant rights.
7.
It is vital that the discourses around migration, including in forums such as the
Global Forum on Migration and Development, are reoriented to ensure that they
are more than just a negotiation between countries of origin and destination on
the most effective global arrangements to meet market demands for supply of
human resources. Such discourses lead to commoditization of migrant workers
and pave the way for a range of human rights violations.
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