Civil Society statement by APMM, APWLD, ARROW, CARAM-Asia, GAATW, MFA, MMN and Seven Sisters* on the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the General Assembly High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development 2013
May 31, 2013
About 60 representatives from a diverse group of CSOs, NGOs and Trade Unions came together to prepare for this preparatory meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, in preparation for the General Assembly UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development scheduled to take place at the UN General Assembly in New York in October, 2013.
Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the General Assembly High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development 2013
Bangkok, 29-31 May 2013
Agenda Item 4
We wish to thank the Member States and Secretariat of ESCAP, IOM, and members of the Asia-Pacific RCM Thematic Working Group on International Migration, including Human Trafficking, for giving civil society an opportunity to share our thoughts today. Thank you,Mr. Chair.
This statement is made on behalf of civil society organisations, trade unions and migrant workers, and its recommendations are reflective of the themes elaborated in the civil society 7-point, 5-year Agenda endorsed by the Civil Society Steering Committee for the UNHLD.
On 22-23 March 2012, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in cooperation with the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW), held an expert meeting on the subject of “Human Rights at International Borders: Exploring Gaps in Policy and Practice”. The aim of the expert meeting was to explore the human rights situation of migrants at international borders as well as the need for enhanced human rights guidance in this respect.
“Vodoo Inverso” winning entry to Rights! Art! Action!
GAATW is pleased to announce “Vodoo Inverso”, submitted by Kay Chernush, as the winning entry to GAATW’s recent art contest, Rights! Art! Action!
“With this picture I reverse the voodoo onto my trafficker. I am not afraid anymore.”
Chernush says: “This image is part of a series of “re-imagings,” inspired by the narratives of survivors of trafficking …. The work is intended to explode the anecdotal into the universal, as in this work, which is about Courage and Hope. Transforming the particular individual experience in a larger context empowers the woman, enabling her to see herself differently….”
Judge, Jackie Pollock (MAP Thailand), says: “The image provides a strong profile of a woman but with dangers lurking in the background; however, despite the evident threats, the woman remains strong, and refuses to be consumed by these dangers.”
The Rights! Art! Action! campaign invited creative works which depict the (often overlooked) strength and resilience women demonstrate through their labour, migration and trafficking struggles.
The Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520
VIA FAX AND E-MAIL
RE: Trafficking in Persons Report June 2008
Dear Madam Secretary,
The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) welcomes the release of the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report). GAATW is an Alliance of more than 90 organisations spanning five continents committed to ending trafficking and to the protection of the human rights of trafficked persons and women migrant workers. The Alliance includes organizations that provide direct assistance to trafficked persons and exploited migrant workers; research and policy organisations; self-organised groups of migrant workers, domestic workers, sex workers and survivors of trafficking; and grassroots human rights and women’s rights organisations.
At the outset, we recognise that during the past eight years the TIP Report has become increasingly influential worldwide in the fight against trafficking. This year we are pleased to see more attention given to trafficking for labour exploitation and the recognition that migrant workers can be trafficked even if migrating legally. We hope that the TIP Report will continue to focus more on other forms of trafficking and the protection of these trafficked persons.
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