June 30, 2003 Your Excellency: On July 1, 2003, an important milestone will be reached when the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (MWC) enters into force. The MWC provides a comprehensive framework for the protection of the human rights of this economically important yet vulnerable population of more than 150 million worldwide. In many countries, migrant workers face discrimination and abuse. They may be excluded from certain forms of employment or denied access to social services. They may be subject to exploitative and hazardous working conditions, and even violence at the hands of their employers. Many undocumented migrants are denied basic rights to due process, and sometimes suffer ill-treatment by officials. Migrant workers have become even more vulnerable to abuse in the context of measures taken in the fight against terrorism. Since its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990, the MWC has been signed by thirty-one states; twenty-one states have become parties to the Convention. But legal protection for migrants' rights will only be comprehensive when the Convention has been ratified by a broad range of states, including those that host large migrant worker populations. We urge your government to join in this global effort to end discrimination and abuse against migrants by becoming a party to the MWC as soon as possible.
Sincerely, Joanna Weschler
United Nations Representative
