Introduction: The UN Convention on Migrant Workers' Rights

Abstract

The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) is the most comprehensive international treaty in the field of migration and human rights. It is an instrument of international law meant to protect one of the most vulnerable groups of people: migrant workers, whether in a regular or irregular situation. Adopted in 1990 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, it sets a worldwide standard in terms of migrants' access to fundamental human rights, whether on the labour market, in the education and health systems or in the courts. At a time when the number of migrants is on the rise, and evidence regarding human rights abuses in relation to migration is increasing, such a convention is a vital instrument to ensure respect for migrants' human rights. Yet the ICRMW suffers from marked indifference: only forty-one states have ratified it and no major immigration country has done so. Even though it entered into force on 1 July 2003, most countries are reluctant to ratify the treaty and to implement its provisions. This stands in sharp contrast to other core human rights instruments, which have been very widely ratified. This situation highlights how migrants remain largely forgotten in terms of access to rights; while the need to protect women and children, for example, is – at least on paper – uncontested, granting rights to migrants is not understood as a priority.

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