Chief of Mission, IOM in The Gambia
By Landing Ceesay
The Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in The Gambia, Madam Fumiko Nagano has said that the number of international migrants is almost 272 million globally.
“Today, the number of international migrants is estimated to be almost 272 million globally, with nearly two-thirds being labour migrants. This figure remains a very small percentage of the world’s population at 3.5%, meaning that the vast majority of people globally 96.5% are estimated to be residing in the country in which they were born. However, the estimated number and proportion of international migrants already surpasses some projections made for the year 2050, which were in the order of 2.6 per cent or 230 million,” Madame Nagano said.
The IOM Chief of Mission said irregular migrants are especially vulnerable as traffickers take advantage of their status to lock into the cycles of exploitation.
Madame Nagano further stated that despite growing awareness and knowledge of trafficking practices, prosecution and conviction rates remain low due to various factors, with the limited capacity of law enforcement actors being among the key factors.
“Another important issue worth considering is the critical importance of promoting a social justice approach that ensures that counter-trafficking measures are human rights-based, victim-oriented and gender-sensitive. The primacy of the rule of law is not only central to avoiding victims becoming collateral damage of anti-trafficking efforts but also to ensuring that criminal justice measures are not counterproductive and detrimental to the fight against human trafficking, and more broadly the governance of migration,” she said.
The IOM Chief of Mission made these remarks at the commemoration of the International Human Rights Day at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre on Friday.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Human Rights Day in 1948. Hence, annually, the day is commemorated on 10 December worldwide. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Quality- Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’. On this day, governments, individuals and human rights groups come together to reflect on gains made, challenges encountered and the way forward.