Report on the Seminar
“Migrant Women, Boys
and Girls”
(San Salvador,
February 2000).
Elizabeth Cubías,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
BACKGROUND AND
OBJECTIVES
 Event carried out in February 2000 within the
framework of the topic of “Migration and
Development” of the Action Plan of the
Regional Conference on Migration
 Organized by the Canadian Government and
the Salvadoran Government, with support of
International Organization for Migration
 Objective: To share best practices and
experience in order to formulate
recommendations for specific actions
The Seminar
 Close to one hundred participants from
all RCM member countries
 Representatives from government
entities, civil society, and the academic
world
 Analysis of needs and challenges
 Formulating specific actions and
recommendations
Methodology
Panels and work groups to analyze the
following core thematic components:
1. Regulatory Framework
2. Access to Services
3. Employment Conditions
4. Human Rights
5. Cultural Problematics
General Recommendations
 To carry out studies to identify conditions of
migrant women, boys, and girls in the region
 To incorporate statistical data on migration in
population censuses or surveys
 To coordinate actions among governments and
civil society to effectively address challenges
Specific
Recommendations
relating to Migrant
Women
In accordance with the five core
thematic components
Regulatory Framework
1. To ratify international agreements relating to the
topic of migrant women and to establish
monitoring and follow-up mechanisms with
participation of civil society
2. To improve conditions in detention centers for
migrant women and deportation conditions
taking gender and family links into account
3. To penalize trafficking in persons, to carry out
prevention campaigns and to promote
denouncement of trafficking in persons
Access to Services
 To improve access to services for migrants
 To disseminate basic services in matters of
health, education, housing, food (with support
from international organizations and civil
society)
 To carry out a study on social needs and
services being provided to migrant women,
boys, and girls
Human Rights
Recommendations for governments:
1. To implement social reintegration
projects for returned or deported
women
2. To improve coordination and control
mechanisms among government
entities that address the topic of
migration
3. To improve information exchange with
other sectors
Human Rights
Recommendations for international
organizations:

To support comprehensive
development programs in countries of
origin through alternative development
projects
Employment Conditions




To harmonize migration policy and
procedures
To ratify the International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of their Families
To establish agreements between countries of
origin and countries of destination
To channel funds to improve employment
conditions in both countries
Cultural Phenomenon
 To strengthen the celebration of
Migrants’ Week, with an emphasis on
conditions of women, boys, and girls
 To incorporate the topic of migration in
education curricula
THANK YOU
FOR
YOUR ATTENTION.