Guatemala, December 18, 2019 – 29 years after being approved by the United Nations General Assembly on December 18, 1990, THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL MIGRATORY WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, and 22 years after the State of Guatemala adopts said instrument, the situation of vulnerability in which migrant workers and their families find themselves is still evident.

The increase in mass migration flows made up of people from the countries that make up the northern triangle is a manifestation of the lack of recognition of these rights. Migrants are directly affected by the absence of concrete actions by the States, in search of better job opportunities and quality of life.

Although the work of the migrant population represents economic growth for the countries; rejection, inequality, xenophobia, and discrimination, have led to a “threatening” environment and the lack of comprehensive public policies, prevent recognition of the rights of migrant workers and their families, which include forced deportation, without guaranteeing due process, they return to economic, social and cultural instability in their countries of origin.

Currently, there are several challenges regarding the situation and particular conditions of migrants at national, regional and international levels, being the insecurity they live in the migratory path, due to lack of commitments of the States to guarantee a safe transit within their borders, situation that is exploited by organized crime groups, who exercise violence against the population in mobility.

Casa del Migrante, as an institution that watches over the human rights of the migrant population, welcomes all those actions that have been carried out from the different social sectors, in search of better conditions that promote respect to dignity for the population in mobility (migrants and asylum seekers). However, we believe that the mission takes on a new vision because we are at a crucial point at the regional and international level, where anti-immigrant migration policies are being developed that are detrimental to human rights ratified in international instruments.

On the occasion of the commemoration of THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL MIGRATORY WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, Casa del Migrante de los Misioneros de San Carlos Scalabrinianos urges:

• The States, to comply with the international obligations acquired in the different human rights instruments;
• International Organizations, be vigilant and proactively contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of the migrant population, as well as to the obligations acquired by States internationally;
• And to civil society organizations, to continue carrying out actions for the benefit of the migrant population, in strict observance of the rights of migrant workers and their families.

“It’s not just about migrants” Pope Francis

Fr. Mauro Verzeleeti, CS
Director of Casa del migrante Guatemala and El Salvador