“…panelists and participants affirmed that the Human Rights of Migrants must be central to all responses to crisis situations, and that migrants’ rights must be protected at ALL times…”
Geneva, 17 June 2015
GCM member, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), organized a side event today during the 29th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), on Migrants in Situations of Crisis from a Human Rights Perspective, co-sponsored by GCM, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) and the UN Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers & Members of Their Families (MWC).
Moderated by John Bingham of ICMC, panelists and participants at this side event affirmed that the human rights of migrants must be central to all responses to crisis situations, and that migrants’ rights must be protected at all times, as migrants’ vulnerability in crisis situations is directly tied to the degree to which their rights are protected and upheld in non-crisis times.
Enrico T. Foss, the Consul-General of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN, kicked off the panel by providing an overview of the Philippines’ foreign policy and crisis preparedness mechanisms, Mr. Foss emphasized the importance of political will and cooperation between origin and destination countries in securing safe relocations or repatriations for migrants caught in crisis situations. He also outlined the Philippines’ participation in the Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Initiative, highlighting its role in complementing other initiatives, guidelines, and frameworks that are also looking at responses to migrants caught up in crisis situations.
Sara Prestianni of Arci and Migreurop followed by presenting on the current crisis of migrants in the Mediterranean. She strongly asserted that the reason so many are dying at sea and in the desert is that there is no legal access for these migrants to European territory; the only remedy is to open legal migration channels, which would render emergency search and rescue responses and “burden sharing” concerns among member states unnecessary. She also reminded participants that beyond the numbers quoted in media, the migrants we are talking about are all individuals — not only men and women, but also many unaccompanied minors who represent the future of Europe.
Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna of the Malaysian Migration Working Group, reported on the significant human rights violations against migrants on the Thailand/Malaysia border, where 60 migrant detention camps have been found, 28 of which were found to have 139 mass graves. These camps and gravesites are linked to human trafficking rings operating in the region. At the time of this discovery, several boats arrived on the shores of Thailand. Governments in the region have not been allowing these boats to land, providing supplies and then pushing them back out to sea. It is estimated that ~6,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants remain adrift, and search & rescue teams are unable to locate them until today. Sumitha emphasized that pushing boats back to sea is not an option — these migrants are human beings deserving of the safety and protection of the law.
Oscar Chacon of the National Alliance for Latin American & Caribbean Communities (NALACC) reported on thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America who have been apprehended in their attempts to cross the US/Mexico border. He indicated that this story is suddenly being labeled a crisis, but it has been unfolding gradually over some time as a result of poverty, the desire for family reunification, and violence related to organized crime in many Central American communities. He noted that when the numbers of children apprehended year over year on the US and Mexican sides of the border are examined, there is clear evidence that Mexico has assumed the role of a US external border; increasing numbers of migrant children are being apprehended before they are able to cross into US territory. He emphasized that people crossing borders deserve protection, not incarceration or deportation.
Finally, Som Prasad Lamichhane of the Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee (PNCC) reflected on the recent and devastating earthquake in Nepal, and the significant impact this disaster has had on migrants and their families. With so many homes and livelihoods destroyed in and around Kathmandu, many are attempting to leave the country to earn money to support their families, depleting the local labour supply needed for rebuilding. Conversely, migrant workers in destination countries with employer-tied visa regimes and who want to return to Nepal to assist with reconstruction need to seek a release from their employers—some of whom are reluctant to provide this clearance. Those who were getting ready to migrate just before the earthquake are now in dire financial straits, having not only taken out loans to finance their migration but now needing to rebuild homes that have been destroyed. Som emphasized that countries of origin and destination must cooperate to deal with crisis situations when they occur, understanding their impact on migrant workers and their families.
GCM will continue its efforts in organizing global civil society advocacy around migrants in crisis situations by jointly co-organizing an European civil society regional consultation on the MICIC Initiative alongside the MADE Network. This will take place next week on 24 June in Brussels, on the eve of the MICIC Eastern Europe & Central Asia regional consultation. GCM and MADE also are planning to co-organize an entire series of such regional civil society consultations in conjunction with all of the states’ MICIC regional consultations over the next 12 months. The human rights of migrants will be a central theme and cornerstone of all of GCM’s capacity-building and advocacy efforts around migrants in situations of crisis.
(Onsite report by Karen Campbell. Edited by Colin Rajah.)