| 1. UN Commission approves resolutions
on migrants
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (15 March - 23
April 2004) passed three resolutions promoting the protection
of migrant workers. The resolutions are on Violence against
women migrant workers (2004/49); Human rights of migrants
(2004/53); and the International Convention on the Protection
of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
(2004/56). The full
texts of all these resolutions can be accessed on the UNHCHR
website.
The latest issue of Migrant
News (available here as a Word file) also provides links
to the main discussion points under Item 14 of the Commission's
agenda on "Specific groups and individuals" (which
covers internally displaced persons, minorities, migrant workers
and other vulnerable individuals), including the UN Special
Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants' report on the situation
of migrant domestic workers. Migrant News also gives
details of the UN Special Rapporteur's proposed visit to Italy
(7-18 June 2004), a new report which reviews EU and international
standards on safeguarding the rights of migrant workers, information
on campaigns in Europe and new articles, reports and papers.
2. ILO Conference to discuss migrant workers
The International Labour Organization will hold a General Discussion
on Migrant Workers at its annual Conference in Geneva this year
(1-17 June 2004). The ILO has produced a report to inform this
discussion entitled Towards
a Fair Deal for Migrant Workers in the Global Economy which
covers labour migration in a globalizing world, migration and
its consequences, the conditions of work and treatment of migrant
workers, international regulation of migration, issues in managing
labour migration and a summary of the findings from ILO's International
Migration Survey.
The ILO's Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour
has published a report Forced
Labour Outcomes of Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking
in Europe (available here as a PDF file, see bottom
of page about reading PDF files) which
examines forms of exploitation and control in nine different
countries, particularly in relation to the construction, agriculture
and textile sectors. The report looks at good practice among
trade unions and makes recommendations. The ILO also has a number
of other related publications, including: Getting at the
Roots: Stopping exploitation of migrant workers by organized
crime, ILO Africa Labour Migration Policy Initiative
and Trafficking from Moldova: Irregular labour markets and
restrictive migration policies in Western Europe. These
and other reports can be accessed from the
ILO website.
3. UNICEF releases report on trafficking
in Africa
The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre has issued a report Trafficking
in Human Beings, Especially Women and Children, in Africa
which looks at all 53 African countries in order to provide
an overview of the key issues relating to trafficking of people
in Africa, including root causes, flows, policy responses and
best practices at a regional, sub-regional and national level.
The report notes that trafficking occurs both within and outside
Africa, but reveals that 89 per cent of countries are affected
by trafficking flows to and from other countries within Africa,
mostly from the same sub-region.
4. ECPAT UK releases research on child
trafficking in London
ECPAT UK has published its report Cause
for Concern? London social services and child trafficking
(available here as a PDF file, see bottom of page about
reading PDF files) which considers how aware London social
services are of the issue, records cases of children who have
been trafficked to the capital and examines how they have been
dealt with. Hard copies of the report can be bought for £3.50
plus p&p, call 020 7501 8927 or e-mail ecpatuk@antislavery.org
.
5. Other publications and events
The International Rescue Committee has produced issue 4 of
Trafficking Watch (Spring 2004), which features an interview
with the Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department
of Justice Civil Rights Division; statistical information on
investigations and prosecutions of trafficking cases in the
US, updates on legislative/policy issues, resources, training
and meetings, plus a feature on the work of the Heartland Alliance
and the Asian & Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety
Center. For more, go to the IRC
website or contact listserv@ftp.theirc.org
The IOM has published Who is the Next Victim: Vulnerability
of young Romanian women to trafficking in human beings.
This paper can be downloaded from the IOM
website at or contact them by e-mail at publications@iom.int
The European Centre for Judges and Lawyers, is organising a
seminar
on co-operation in combating cross-border crime in Luxembourg,
21-22 June 2004. The focus of this seminar will be to discuss
the progress made by the EU and its Member States in their efforts
to respond to cross-border crime, especially in the areas of
terrorism, trafficking and financial crime. The working languages
will be French and English. For further information about the
programme and registration, go to the European
Institute of Public Administration website or contact
Christiane Lamesch at C.Lamesch@eipa.net
.
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