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Overview:
“I think migration is one of the great issues of the century—and likely to become of even greater importance.” Peter Sutherland (UN Special Representative for Migration), Newsweek, June 15, 2006
International Migration Convention The international convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families entered into force in July 2003. Its primary objective is to protect migrant workers and their families, a particularly vulnerable population, from exploitation and the violation of their human rights.
Facts:
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More than 175 million people, 3 per cent of the world’s population, live outside their country of origin. The magnitude and complexity of international migration makes it an important force in development and a high-priority issue for both developing and developed countries.
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Internal migration within countries is also on the rise, as people move in response to inequitable distribution of resources, services and opportunities, or to escape violence or natural disaster. The movement of people from rural to urban areas has contributed to the explosive growth of cities around the globe.
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While an estimated 9.2 million international migrants are refugees fleeing armed conflict, natural disaster, famine or persecution, the majority of migrants cross borders in search of better economic and social opportunities. Economic migrants are the world’s fastest growing group of migrants. Globalization has increased the mobility of labour and a decline in fertility and working-age populations in many developed countries is leading to a rising demand for workers from abroad to sustain national economies. New patterns of migration have arisen, and many countries that once sent migrants are now experiencing migrant inflows as well.
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People who have migrated without proper authorization account for one third to one half of new entrants into developed countries, according to the International Organization for Migration. Undocumented migrants often face dangerous journeys, exploitation by criminal smuggling networks and difficult working and living conditions and intolerance when they arrive on foreign soil. (Source: UNFPA)
Sources of information:
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