Policy and Legislation

This paper is part of the IOM Migration Research Leaders Syndicate’s contribution toward the Global Compact for Migration. It is one of 26 papers that make up a consolidated Syndicate publication, which focuses on proposing ways to address complex and pressing issues in contemporary international migration. The Migration Research Leaders Syndicate, convened...

The Republic of Uganda Border and Migration Management Assessment was carried out in 2014 in order to give an overview of the migration management structure of the country. This publication allows the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control of Uganda and other stakeholders to properly identify development needs and requirements. The assessment...

Migrant workers often experience precarity in their migration journeys, and the state structures and programs designed to ‘protect’ migrants have the potential to increase migrant vulnerability to exploitation; financial exploitation, enduring physical harm, rights abuses or various forms of coercion. The increased use of managed migration programs to...

In the framework of the EU action against trafficking in human beings (THB), the project “Towards global EU Action against Trafficking in Human Beings”, which is the subject of this report, facilitated the elaboration and adoption of the Council of Ministers of an Action Oriented Paper (AOP) on the external dimension of EU justice and home affairs policies...

Global assessments suggest that a substantial proportion of labour migrants ends up in situations of extreme exploitation, some of whom are identified as victims of human trafficking. Because large numbers of migrant workers fall into a “grey area” between trafficking (as defined by international and national law) and exploitative labour situations, there is...

Migrant smuggling is seen as antithetical to safe, orderly and regular migration. In fact, the fight against migrant smuggling stands out as a point of agreement in an otherwise fractured policy field. This apparent unity obscures disparate motivations for counter-smuggling measures. Traditionally, concerns about illegal work and residence have been...

This paper is part of the IOM Migration Research Leaders Syndicate’s contribution toward the Global Compact for Migration. It is one of 26 papers that make up a consolidated Syndicate publication, which focuses on proposing ways to address complex and pressing issues in contemporary international migration. The Migration Research Leaders Syndicate, convened...

This first set of Bali Process Policy Guides introduces policymakers and practitioners on how to implement international legal obligations to criminalize migrant smuggling at the domestic level. Since its inception in 2002, the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process) has effectively raised...

Young migrants and refugees set out to escape harm or secure better futures – and face staggering risks in the process. For children and youth on the move via the Mediterranean Sea routes to Europe, the journey is marked by high levels of abuse, trafficking and exploitation. Some are more vulnerable than others: those travelling alone, those with low levels...

Independent child migration is not necessarily an exploitative or damaging experience for children, but rather a multidimensional phenomenon. Children can be actively involved in the decision-making process regarding their future, including the decision to continue their education, to work or to combine both. Nonetheless, policy responses to support these...

Since its inception in 2002, the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process) has effectively raised regional awareness of the consequences of people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime, and also developed and implemented strategies and practical cooperation in response...

This discussion paper explores the rise of mixed, irregular migration with particular focus on the role of smuggling and trafficking in both facilitating that movement and influencing its impact. It explains the current migration context followed by a discussion and analysis of the smuggling–trafficking nexus. Emerging characteristics of irregular migration...

The present report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 35/5. In the report, the Special Rapporteur takes stock of her previous research and reports, and analyses protection gaps in the legal and policy framework to prevent and...

Based on the principles of respect and equality, and lessons learned from evidence-based results on what works in preventing violence from occurring and recurring, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Women, in collaboration with ten other UN, bilateral, and multilateral agencies, have developed “RESPECT Women: Preventing violence against women”. This...

For some years now, one of the concerted efforts of GAATW has been to put together a document that will clearly spell out the human rights of trafficked persons. The Human Rights Standards for the Treatment of Trafficked Persons (HRS) includes an all-encompassing definition of trafficking, and a set of state responsibilities which ensures that trafficked...

En los últimos años el territorio colombiano se ha visto afectado por múltiples fenómenos delincuenciales de carácter transnacional como el narcotráfico, el tráfico de armas, la trata de personas y el tráfico ilícito de migrantes, los cuales son detectados permanentemente por las autoridades colombianas en desarrollo de las actividades de control en...

This operational advisory note in relation to the COVID-19 outlines a number of priority actions to be undertaken by National Protection Clusters including the Areas of Responsibility. It is intended as a quick reference tool to support colleagues in the field who are working on preparedness and response to the outbreak. This advisory note is a living...

The Rome Declaration, adopted at the Ministerial Conference in Rome in 2014, is the key strategic document of the Khartoum Process whereby its members agreed to assist participating states in tackling human trafficking and smuggling between the Horn of Africa and Europe.

This report presents the comparative findings of research spanning two years on migrants caught in situations of crisis in a destination country. The research focused on the longer-term socio-economic impacts of these crises on migrants, on their families and on the countries affected by the crisis. Based on the inputs of states, civil society, international...

This paper will highlight existing guidelines (especially the Migrants in Countries in Crisis Guidelines to protect migrants in countries experiencing conflict or natural disaster) that speak to the findings of our research – and connect them to wider policy developments in the migration sphere. In particular, we reference the global process of the United...