101
PRIORITYMEASURE67
“Provide assistance andprotection tomigrants regardless of theirmigration status, especially vulnerable groups, with full respect for their rights and in accordance
with the provisions of the International Convention on theRights of AllMigrantWorkers andMembers of theirFamilies and those of theViennaConventionon
Consular Relations, highlighting the need toafford them comprehensive attention in countries of transit and destination.”
Possible lines of action
1. Create cross-sector institutions tomonitor immigration regulations, policies and programmes; 2. Encourage countries that have not yet
done so to ratify the International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families;
3. Adopt specific national legislation on the rights of migrants, and the regulations, standards and treatment protocols needed for its
application; 4. Prepare specific policies andprogrammes that take into account the cross-sector nature of attention tomigrants; 5. Conduct
permanent evaluations of regional, subregional, extra-regional and bilateral agreements for the protection of migrants; 6. Establish
mechanisms for consulting civil society and involving it in the institutional structure formigration; 7. Negotiate subregional and regional
measures to facilitate regular migration; 8. Adopt concrete measures against the discrimination and xenophobia that affect migrants;
9. Promote consistency between internal rules, regional agreements and the international human rights instruments to which countries
have signed up.
Targets
1. Achieve ratification of theMigrantWorkers Convention; 2. Have in operation legislation, institutions and policies geared specifically
to protecting the human rights of all migrants; 3. Achieve full regularity in migration processes; 4. Stamp out trafficking in migrants;
5. Eliminate the discrimination and xenophobia that affectmigrants; 6. Have comprehensive centres formigrants at borders.
Tentative indicators
1. The country has ratified and applies the International Convention on Protection of the Rights of AllMigrantWorkers andMembers of
Their Families; 2. Percentage of the total population of immigrants and emigrants, women andmen, with proper legal status, by national
origin, age and other relevant characteristics; 3. Creation of a mechanism to determine the percentage of irregular immigrants in each
country with respect to the total population; 4. Annual number (and relative share) of male and female trafficking victims who have
received adequate and timely treatment in accordance with the legal framework; 5. Number (and relative share) of migrants reporting
discrimination, by sex and age; 6. Number of laws and measures in place to prevent and combat discrimination; 7. Definition of
trafficking as a crime under national law; 8. Number of persons convicted for human trafficking compared with the number of cases
processed under national law.
Related instruments,
forums andmechanisms
This priority measure is related to nearly all the other measures in this chapter. It is covered by at least two specific international
instruments: the obligations flowing from ratification of the MWC (17 countries in the region), and the provisions of the Vienna
Convention onConsular Relations. All international and inter-American human rights instruments (and the reports of their treaty bodies)
complement these mechanisms, in addition to the Palermo protocols. The mandates of the United Nations agencies and the IOMmust
also be considered. The action plans and commitments from the Regional Conference onMigration and the SouthAmericanConference
onMigration also provide backing, in particular by including countries that have not ratified theMigrant Workers Convention (MWC).
CELAC is one appropriate forum for follow-up. Othermultilateral cooperation forums have alsomade insistent reference to thismeasure,
directly or indirectly (Summit of theAmericas, UNASUR,MERCOSUR, CAN, SICA, CARICOM, among others). This prioritymeasure
also relates to SDG 10.7, “Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through
implementationof plans andwell-managedmigration policies”.
Comments
This measure shares contents with other measures, such as PM 73. Specifically, it refers to countries of transit and destination, without
prejudice to establishing obligations formigrants’ countries of origin and return.
