New York, December 18, 2017 – On the International Migrants Day 2017, in the framework of the 27th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) renews its commitment to safeguarding the dignity of migrants, victims of human trafficking, refugees, seafarers, and their families and reiterates the importance of defining and implementing policies and programs to protect their human rights, regardless of their migration status. 

SIMN would like to remind governments, international agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders their urgent responsibility to implement policies and practices to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants throughout the world.  Too often, we witness enforcement practices taking precedence over protection policies, with tragic consequences.

We must work together to address the push factors that drive forced migration, so that persons can remain in their homelands with security and opportunity.

The Scalabrini International Migration Network stands and will continue to stand ready to work with nations worldwide to protect the human rights of persons on the move.  They, too, are human beings who share our common desires—to live in safety and in community and to provide for their families.