 | Dear Readers, December 10th, 2018, marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – today is #HumanRightsDay. The declaration proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Whereas cross border migration is not a human right per se, more than 250 million, about 3 per cent of the world’s population, currently live outside their country of origin. Notwithstanding that many migrants choose to leave their countries of origin each year, an increasing number of migrants are forced to leave their homes for a complex combination of reasons. Poverty, lack of access to healthcare, education, water, food, housing, and the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change, as well as forced displacement such as persecution and conflict drive people’s migration. While migrants are not inherently vulnerable, they can be vulnerable to human rights violations. Migrants tend to be disproportionately vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and marginalisation, often living and working in the shadows, afraid to complain, and denied their human rights and fundamental freedoms. To “prevent suffering and chaos” the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, also called Migration Pact, was just signed in Marrakesh by 164 countries, excluding the United States and several other countries – it is a non-binding document. This first edition of our monthly topical newsletter series, is dedicated to those on the move. | |
