Committee on the Rights of the Child

Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Background

This joint general comment is also general comment No. 3 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

It was adopted at the same time as joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of children in the context of international migration in countries of origin, transit, destination and return.  While that general comment and the present one are standalone documents in their own right, the two complement each other and should be read and implemented together. The drafting process included a series of global and regional consultations held between May and July 2017 with representatives of key stakeholders and experts, including children and migrant organizations, in Bangkok, Beirut, Berlin, Dakar, Geneva, Madrid and Mexico City.

In addition, the Committees received more than 80 written contributions from States, United Nations agencies and entities, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and other stakeholders from every region of the world between November 2015 and August 2017.

Summary

This joint general comment aims to provide authoritative guidance on legislative, policy and other appropriate measures that should be taken to ensure full compliance with the obligations under the obligations under the Conventions to fully protect the rights of children in the context of international migration.