Human Rights of Migrants in Transit: The Need for Independent Monitoring cla_team October 31, 2024

Human Rights of Migrants in Transit: The Need for Independent Monitoring

On 8 October 2024, a hybrid side event on migrants’ rights took place within the 57th session of the Human Rights Council. The event was hosted by Quaker United Nations Office, BVMN, Human Rights Watch. Center of Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria had a rpresentation as well. The focus was on Human Rights of Migrants in Transit: The Need for Independent Monitoring, referring to resolution 53/24 adopted by the Human Right Council on prevention and accountability for human rights violations in transit.
UN representatives including the Special Rapporteur on the Human rights of Migrants and representatives of the civil society reflected on the current situation of migrants’ rights, voicing concerning trends and the greater need for independent human rights monitoring at international borders with a leverage to prevent and account for violations of migrants’ fundamental rights.

The need of the event.Migrants continue to face widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses in transit that remain inadequately monitored, documented, or addressed, feeding impunity and exacerbating the dehumanization of migrants.

The Human Right Council adopted resolution 53/24 on prevention and accountability for human rights violations in transit which called upon States to work with national human rights institutions civil society organizations, migrants and their family members, and other relevant stakeholders to understand, prevent, investigate and address human rights violations and abuses against migrants in transit.

That resolution mandated an intersessional panel discussion on human rights violations in transit. The intersessional discussion is summarized in the report 57/32 and includes a call for the establishment of an international and independent monitoring mechanism to address human rights violations in transit.

The aim of this side event was to provide space to discuss the role and importance of independent human rights monitoring at international borders in prevention and accountability.