For Your Information
UN International Migrants Day -- December 18
On December 4, 2000, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world and recognizing the enormous contribution that migrants make in the global economy, to the societies they migrate to and the huge financial contributions they make to the countries they come from through remittances and other ways, proclaimed December 18 International Migrants Day. A decade earlier, on December 18, 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
It is noteworthy that Canada has never signed nor acceded to this International Convention.
In 2006, 132 member countries of the UN participated in the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in which they acknowledged that international migration was a growing phenomenon and that such migration could be beneficial if supported by the right social and political policies. The Dialogue also emphasized the need for respect and protection for the rights of migrants as the essential condition for their flourishing and contributions to society. Finally, the Dialogue recognized the importance of strengthening international cooperation locally, regionally and globally to protect the rights and well-being of migrants on a global scale.
In June 2023, under the heading "Canada's Approach to Advancing Human Rights," the country proclaimed: "Canada proudly upholds its commitments, respects its obligations, and champions at home and abroad the human rights of people who are displaced, persecuted, and in need of protection." But it is not the case that Canada does any of these things. On the contrary, it is proud of its ability to speak about high ideals while in life itself it violates the human rights of people who are displaced, persecuted and in need of protection. This has been confirmed by the UN itself.
In September 2023, following a visit to Canada to investigate the conditions of migrant workers, Tomoya Obakata, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences, expressed that he was "deeply disturbed by accounts of exploitation and abuse shared by migrant workers in reference to the risks of modern slavery posed by Canada's temporary foreign worker programmes," as well as by discriminatory immigration and refugee policies that target people of African origin and other vulnerable people. Professor Obakata called on Canada to sign the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and to actively prevent and address contemporary forms of slavery.
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 32 - December 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS53324.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca