migrants

All countries must protect rights of tens of millions of irregular migrants – UN group

30 September 2010
All countries must protect the human rights of the tens of millions of migrants worldwide who lack proper legal status and are thus more likely to face abuse, prolonged detention and ill-treatment, enslavement, rape or even murder, a United Nations-backed group warned today.

UN official denounces mistreatment of migrants and urges respect for their rights

23 July 2010
Migrants continue to endure multiple forms of discrimination, exploitation and other violations of human rights, a senior United Nations official has said, calling for their protection and social inclusion in communities where they live.

On International Day, UN officials call for protecting dignity and rights of migrants

18 December 2008
Top United Nations officials are marking International Migrants Day by stressing the need to ensure the dignity and human rights of the more than 200 million people worldwide who cross borders to live and work, and who make a vital contribution to their societies.

Over 130 migrants from Somalia die as boats capsize off Yemen, UN reports

22 January 2008
More than 130 migrants from Somalia, many fleeing violence in their homeland, died over the weekend when their boats capsized off Yemen as weather and the brutality of people-smugglers continued to exact a grievous toll, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

UN campaign warns migrants about dangers of crossing Gulf of Aden

19 December 2007
With more than 1,400 people having lost their lives this year while illegally crossing the Gulf of Aden, the United Nations refugee agency has started a new campaign in the Horn of Africa to highlight the dangers of making the perilous voyage to Yemen.

UN calls for protection of migrants’ human rights regardless of legal status

18 December 2007
United Nations officials today called on all countries to protect the human rights of the world’s 200 million migrants, regardless of their legal status, stressing that they provide vital services to the States where they live, yet often face abuse, discrimination and even violence in return.

UN refugee agency praises cruise ship for rescuing migrants whose ship had sunk

8 June 2006
The United Nations refugee agency today praised the rescue of 22 migrants, including at least one asylum seeker, whose vessel had sunk in the Aegean Sea, by the crew of a Dutch-registered cruise ship of the Holland America Line.

Gun-toting smugglers force migrants overboard off Yemen, drowning at least 39 – UN

9 May 2006
In yet another grim episode of asylum-seekers and migrants dying while trying to cross the Gulf of Aden from Somalia to Yemen, people-smugglers forced some 140 Ethiopians and Somalis at gunpoint to jump overboard, drowning at least 39 of them, the United Nations refugee agency has reported.

Annan urges humane treatment of migrants trying to cross Morocco-Spain border

7 October 2005
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced deep concern about the “very serious situation” of migrants trying to cross from Morocco into Spain and urged all governments to manage the flow of people across borders more effectively.

Human rights of migrants deteriorating, warns UN expert

26 October 2004
Migrants face increasingly harsh conditions around the world, from exploitation in the workplace to frequent episodes of xenophobia or racism to detention if their status is irregular, a United Nations human rights expert says.