| 1. Launch of platform for the Migrant Workers'
Convention
The International NGO Platform on the Migrant Workers' Convention
(IPMWC) has been formed to facilitate the promotion, implementation
and monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Protection
of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
It is a civil society initiative to encourage NGO involvement
in the monitoring and the implementation of this core international
human rights treaty. The Platform will also engage with the
other UN treaty supervisory bodies from a migrants' rights perspective.
The Platform has received the support of the newly established
UN Committee of independent experts set up to monitor the implementation
of the Convention. A
flyer for the platform including its NGO member organisations
is available.
Any non-governmental organisation working or planning to work
on the protection of the human rights of migrant workers is
welcome to join the IPMWC as a member. For
further information about the Platform and how to become a member.
2. Chile and Algeria ratify the Migrant
Convention
On 21 March 2005, Chile ratified ratified the UN Convention
on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members
of Their Families. One month later, Algeria also ratified.
This means a total of 29 states have ratified the Convention
and a further 15 have signed it. You
can see a full list of these countries.
Only two European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey)
and no European Union countries have ratified the Migrant Workers'
Convention to date. December 18 launched an international call
for European ratifications of the Convention and is urging European
institutions to assure a rights-based approach to the EU labour
migration policy. Nealry 400 organisations from 80 countries
have supported the campaign so far. You
can see a list of signatures and add your organisation's name
to the campaign.
3. European agency for external borders
to start work in May
The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council decided unanimously
that the headquarters of the European Agency for External Borders
will be located in Warsaw, Poland. The objective of the agency
is to encourage co-operation between national border surveillance
agencies.
The responsibility for border control lies with the member
states, but the agency will "contribute to an efficient,
high and uniform level of control on persons and surveillance
of the external border of the member states". The agency
is now expected to be launched on 1 May 2005. More
informarion is available about this.
4. Latest on the Council of Europe Convention
The European Union is pushing for clauses to be added to the
draft Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking
in Human Beings which would permit EU member states to apply
existing or future EU rules rather than those set out in the
Council of Europe Convention. This could result in the EU applying
lower standards of human rights protection than those set out
in the Council of Europe treaties. Amnesty International is
calling on the EU to drop its demand for the inclusion of these
"disconnect" clauses or to ensure that member states
apply the standard that requires the highest protection of human
rights -- whether it comes from the Council of Europe or the
EU.
5. Trafficking news available from UNIAP
country offices
The United Nations Inter-Agency Programmes on Human Trafficking
in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (UNIAP) have offices which
produce news digests on trafficking issues. If you are interested
in recieving UNIAP trafficking news digests from one or more
of the following countries, please e-mail the relevant contact
below:
Regional news: Melissa Stewart at melissa.stewart@un.or.th
Cambodia news: Seda Yan at Seda.Yan@undp.org
Lao news: Phadsada Chanthavong at phadsada.chanthavong@undp.org
Burma news: Aung Ye Htut at ayhtut.uniapmm@undp.org
Thailand news: Thitiporn Winijmongkolsin at thitiporn.winijmongkolsin@un.or.th
Vietnam news: Dinh Trinh Van at van_uniapvn@vnn.vn
China news: at uniap.china@gmail.com
6. Publications and resources
Countering trafficking of children
in Albania
Twenty social workers, teachers and community workers from
Terre des Hommes Foundation and the Albanian Foundation Ndihmë
Për Fëmijët have worked together to produce the
report: Child Trafficking in South-Eastern Europe: The development
of good practices to protect Albanian children. The issues
raised in the report are relevant to the different situations
in South-Eastern Europe. The report
is available in different langauges.:
The European Union's
response to child trafficking
Lost Kids Lost Futures assesses the EU policy framework
put in place to fight trafficking in adults and children and
draws up a series of clear recommendations which prioritise
the rights of the trafficked child.
Vital
Voices
March 2005 edition includes news on a Bill to reauthorise
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the United
States State Department's Interim Assessment of the Trafficking
in Persons Special Watch List.
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