African Union countries vow to take action on missing migrants
The African Union seeks to reduce the risk of migrant disappearances, sex workers take their fight against criminalization to the ECHR, and Cuba uncovers a human trafficking ring that coerced its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
A recent conference organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) brought together governments and international organizations to address the growing issue of missing migrants in Africa and reaffirm the commission’s commitment to supporting members in their prevention and protection efforts. AUC and government representatives acknowledged that AU decision makers, member states, and other high-level migration actors play a central role in promoting policies and practices that reduce the risk of migrant disappearances, advocate for their guaranteed rights throughout migratory routes in Africa, and adequately address the needs of families of missing persons.
Migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, go missing in Africa every year while traveling through hostile environments on land or at sea as they find themselves caught in contexts of armed conflict, fall victim to trafficking, are detained without access to means of communication with the outside world, or hide for fear of arrest or deportation. Those who die during their journey are often unidentified, their bodies never recovered or buried in unmarked graves in transit or destination countries. Routes of particular risk include transit through the Sahara Desert, the Atlantic to the Canary Islands, the Horn of Africa to Yemen, and East Africa to South Africa, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.
Our data report on migration trends in the East and Horn of Africa, published last year, identified 30 high-risk routes on which organizations had heard from their clients of another migrant dying or disappearing during their journey. CSOs usually refer such cases to authorities that help recover migrant remains and work on missing persons reports, and local groups may also provide psycho-social support to migrants who witnessed disappearances and deaths, or to missing migrants’ family members.
The conference, “Addressing the Issue of Missing Migrants in Africa: from Policy to Action”, which was held in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with support from the Embassy of Switzerland in Ethiopia, explored the effective implementation of existing policies and, in particular, provided enhanced knowledge and understanding of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Resolution 486 on missing migrants and refugees. All stakeholders were called upon to enhance their commitment to its enactment, with the aim of establishing a Common Africa Position on Missing Migrants to be championed by ACHPR and the AUC.
Attended by representatives from AU member states and foreign embassies accredited to the AU, ICRC, IOM, and UNHCR, along with other international partners, the high-level talks came weeks before the next meeting of the Rabat Process, a regional dialogue on migration between African and European countries which will be held from 20 to 21 September on the theme of “Family separation and missing persons in the context of migration”. An ICRC representative at the conference pointed out that the issue of migrant disappearances transcends national responses and requires transnational and transregional cooperation along migratory routes.
The event was also timed to coincide with the International Day of the Disappeared. While that day focuses on persons who are arrested, detained or abducted by government officials or armed groups, the issue of those who go missing during the migration process is gaining attention – the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project currently records 58,447 known cases of migrants who have died or disappeared since 2014 in the process of migration towards an international destination, with 13,217 of those cases in Africa – numbers that are considered vast underestimates.
Key priorities were identified by one speaker as: policy into practice; partnerships for impact; empowering local communities; resource mobilization; and advocacy and awareness. Participants made concrete suggestions to advance these objectives, including the development of an independent oversight committee to support African States; the creation of a network of national focal points on missing migrants; and reinforcement of search and rescue operations including in desert areas, among others. The need to explore the opportunities provided by the growing role of data and AI, and the importance of networking between different actors, were also highlighted, and one speaker called for a unified African approach to building a cohesive strategy to prevent and address cases of missing migrants.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
The European Court of Human Rights has accepted a case brought by sex workers against criminalization of their work, with a majority of judges declaring admissible a case brought by 261 migrant, queer, and women sex workers against the French government, relating to its 2016 law criminalizing the purchase of sex. Having ruled that sex workers can be considered victims under Article 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the court will now examine and rule on the merits of the case. The decision came a day after a motion to criminalize the purchase of sex in all European Union member states was tabled for a plenary vote at the European Parliament.
This paper explores the ongoing vulnerabilities faced by Rohingya survivors of genocide in Myanmar, as they grapple with socio-economic challenges, persecution, and migration risks. It also delves into the complex issues arising from the fact that citizenship in Myanmar and legal status in host countries are denied to them, and highlights the complexity of their pursuit of peace and security across multiple countries and generations.
Cuba’s foreign ministry has issued a statement on a human trafficking operation that compelled Cuban citizens to participate in the Ukraine conflict on behalf of Russia. The statement offers limited information but confirms the trafficking ring operated within both Cuba and Russia, despite the considerable distance between the two locations, and states that Cuban authorities are actively taking measures to disrupt and dismantle the network.
This documentary features stories of migrants who pass through the Malian city of Gao, the gateway to the Sahara, and take refuge at a local shelter. “The House of the Migrant” welcomes hundreds of people every year from all over Africa – Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Angola and Senegal – and offers a temporary home and support to both those heading for Europe and those forced to turn back.
Justice and Care is looking for a Partnerships Executive and a Grants Manager to join its team in the UK.
Anti-Slavery International is currently recruiting for a Private Sector Officer. Part of the Business & Human Rights Team, this role will support their advisory work with business partners to address modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains.
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