Detalles del documento

Imprima y guarde

Artículo de periódico

Protection of Migrants’ Human Rights: Principles and Practice

Fecha

2000

Autores

Heikki S. Mattila

Resumen

In principle, migrants enjoy the protection of international law. Key human
rights instruments oblige the States Parties to extend their protection to all
human beings. Such important treaties as the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights have been ratified by more than 140 states, but
many political, social or economic obstacles seem to stand in the way of
offering those rights to migrants.
In an attempt to bridge this protection gap, the more specifically targeted
International Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and
Members of their Families was created and adopted by the United Nations
in 1990. This treaty is not yet in force, but the number of States Parties is
increasing towards the required 20.
In the past few years the human rights machinery of the United Nations has
increased its attention towards migrants’ human rights, appointing in 1999
the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. Governments, as
the acceding parties to international human rights instruments, remain the
principal actors as guardians of the human rights of all individuals residing
in their territories.
Receiving countries are in a key position in the protection of the migrants
that they host. However, active defence of migrants’ rights is politically
difficult in many countries where anti-immigrant factions are influential.
Trafficking in migrants is one example of the complexity faced by states in
formulating their migration policies. On the one hand, trafficking has madeprotection. On the other, trafficking, with its easily acceptable human rights
concerns, is often separated from the more migration-related human smuggling.
The latter is a more contentious issue, related also to unofficial interests in
utilizing cheap undocumented immigrant labour.
governments increasingly act together and combine both enforcement and

Journal title

International Migration

Volumen

38

Número

6

Page numbers

53-71

Editor

Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Lugar de publicación

Oxford & Malden

Archivos adjuntos

Conexiones

Los sectores económicos

Agriculture and horticulture workers, Occupations in services - Domestic work, Sales and service occupations - general, Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations - general, Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations - general, Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing, Dancers, y Otro

Tipos de contenido

Análisis de políticas

Los grupos destinatarios

Legisladores, Los investigadores, Los sindicatos, y ONG / grupos comunitarios / redes de solidaridad

Áreas de regulación

Derecho a cambiar de empleador, Derecho a elegir su lugar de residencia, Derecho a organizarse, Normas Laborales, Salud y Seguridad, Programas de integración para los recién llegados, Salud y Servicios Sociales, El acceso a la condición de permanente, La reunificación familiar, Asistencia Legal, EI, Las agencias de contratación y la inversión, y Calidad de la vivienda

Relevancia geográfica

International Organizations

Esferas de la actividad

Derecho

Idiomas

Inglés