GENEVA, Switzerland.
The 29th session of the Human Rights Council HRC) is being held in Geneva from June 15 to July 3. Like a breath of fresh air that renews environments, there have been discussions on migration and the cost of the long travels for migrants. There have been talks about dignity, the value of people, the causes of these massive escapes into the unknown. Policies that are in place have analyzed and, above all, there has been talk about changes that have to happen in each and every one of us.
Little time, much intensity
In the busy agenda of the Human Rights Council (HRC), one of the shorter calls of the year (June 15 to July 3), several of the Special Rapporteurs have presented annual reports, which are usually followed by long debates. Some important issues have been discussed: freedom of association, independence of lawyers and judges, violence against women including its causes and consequences, the right to education, extreme poverty and human rights, freedom of expression and opinion, etc. However, one of the most lively and pressing issues at this time, in light of recent events, has been: Migration. Some very significant voices such as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, in his opening speech of this 29th session, and the Special Rapporteur on migrants, François Crépeau, have addressed the issue. In the same vein, several side events (parallel activities organized by NGOs with status at the UN) have held discussions on the issue, such as the one promoted by the Holy See entitled “Migration and Integration.” This was outstanding because of the quality and humanity of the contributions offered therein; the Catholic Church has shown commitment to this issue.
New approaches, new rights
The conversations have veered toward positivity. Immigrants are people with courage, capable of risking everything in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They know that human beings are endowed with dignity and that pushes them out to seek a better situation. They are resilient, capable of turning pain into opportunity, and their pain, in which we have some responsibility, should make us reflect. They have their rights like any other human being; we should not isolate them by creating barriers; we should enable migration at this time of globalization by creating adequate migration channels, etc.
"Whether or not they have visas -said the High Commissioner- these are people, with the same human rights as all of us here today. They have faces: young and old, women and men, and children – accompanied or, in many cases, separated from their parents. They flee atrocities; biting poverty; places with no access to even basic services, and where the rule of law is broken. I am shocked and shamed by the frequent demonization of migrants that we see in many countries whose people benefit from prosperity, peace and ease. I call on all of you to take a stand against this very dangerous trend.
" I also oppose in the strongest possible terms the notion that migrants are a burden. On the contrary, as workers, consumers, and taxpayers, they contribute to the economic growth of all societies, as many studies havedemonstrated.”(Full Text)
At the end of the debate that followed the presentation, Flavia Peniseri, Vice President of OHCHR, noted the high number of Member States that had intervened and said: "There is no voice that questions the fact that migrants are human beings with rights. It is a moral imperative to acknowledge them."
Recognition of rights
The issue of barriers and isolation in Europe has peaked; migratory pressure is such (aggravated by war) that people risk everything to find a future for their lives. The imprisonment of immigrants, often in subhuman conditions, or their confinement in refugee camps is a clear violation of their rights since they are not criminals; children separated from their parents without access to school is also wrong. Therefore, solutions have to come from other sources. What would these be? We must find a global response.
“When people are unable to use regular channels to escape oppression, violence and economic despair, they may attempt, in desperation, to find irregular ones. This does not make them criminals. It does not withdraw their right to be treated with dignity. On the contrary, their vulnerability cries out for humanity – an approach that is motivated by respect for their plight, and for their fundamental rights as human beings.” (Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. HRC, Session 29)
The events in the Mediterranean show that the system is not sustainable. Migration is an old part of the human condition and in this globalized world marked by conflict, it is inevitable. (Notes on François Crépeau’s speech)
The solution is to find a common framework to the problem of migrants based on the rights of all (rights and duties) and the principles of equality and non-discrimination, knowing that there are differences among them: there are those who are job seekers, those who simply flee and seek asylum, those that will be documented in the short term as they migrate towards specific job offers in certain countries, and the so-called "undocumented."
"When migrants are seen as equal rights-holders, the duty to protect them at all stages of the migration process arises spontaneously." (François Crépeau. Annual Report 2015)
Berta Marco Correspondent