Organizations and conventions: rights of migrants

Abstract

Abstract In principle, migrant workers (hereafter simply “migrants”) are protected through general norms of non‐discrimination and equality; substantive rights such as labor rights and the right to be free from debt bondage; and identity‐based rights aimed at specific groups, such as women's or children's rights (Piper & Satterthwaite 2007). In other words, there are internationally agreed standards for different roles migrants occupy: as men or women, workers, and non‐citizen migrants. The list of applicable human rights norms include: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Convention of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families (hereafter CRMW). In addition there are a number of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions relevant to migrant workers. The two ILO migrant worker conventions are: convention no. 97 of 1949 (C97) concerning Migration for Employment and convention no. 143 of 1975 (C143) concerning Migrations in Abusive Conditions and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity and Treatment of Migrant Workers. (For a full list of conventions relevant to migrant workers, see International Labour Organization (ILO) 2004.)