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Introduction |
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This handbook is intended to provide background and orientation for those, including migrants themselves, who are willing to speak up and act to uphold the basic human rights of migrants. It aims to help organizers take action to build local and national activities and campaigns to ensure that basic international human rights standards are implemented country by country to protect the lives and dignity of migrants. The International Migrants Rights Watch Committee hopes that this handbook will provide a basic explanation of what international standards are, how they come into being, and how they may be promoted. It focuses on the 1990 International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The handbook is intended to help the reader understand the content of the Convention and effectively promote its ratification. Thus, we hope that this booklet will be a tool and local action guide for a global campaign to bring this Convention into force. There are four sections in the handbook. The first section provides an overview of what is happening to migrants. It summarizes global trends in the factors causing or compelling international migration, outlines current estimates of who and where they are, and highlights deterioration of treatment. The importance of defending migrants rights and dignity is emphasized, and the essential features of the campaign focusing on the 1990 Convention are outlined.The second section offers background on what international human rights standards are and how they come into being. It describes how ratification of conventions works, and how standards are incorporated into national law.The third section describes the significance and content of the 1990 Convention. It gives an overview of the particular rights of migrant workers and their family members, as well as the duties of sending, transit and receiving States prescribed in the Convention.The fourth section is the organizer's guide to promoting the Convention. It suggests activity to publicize the existence of the Convention and steps to organize promotional activities. It emphasizes the importance of involving different sectors and building coalitions to include women's organizations, trade-unions, religious sectors, as well as human rights and migrant community groups. Ways to approach and lobby parliaments and other government bodies are outlined. It also provides brief descriptions of how to have input on State reports to international bodies, and how to participate in regional and global conferences and international networking.-------------------------------------- |