UN Committee on Migrant Workers to review Mauritania

GENEVA (6 April 2016) – Mauritania’s record on protecting the rights of migrant workers is due to be reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers (CMW) on 11 and 12 April in Geneva. Mauritania is one of the 48 States Parties to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, and so is required to be reviewed regularly by the Committee. 

Among the possible issues for discussion between the CMW and a delegation from the Mauritanian Government are:

• Measures to combat exploitative employment of migrant workers, exploitation through prostitution of women migrants;
• Protection of migrant children from forced labour, begging, sexual abuse;
• Detention and expulsion of migrants in an irregular situation;
• Measures to address increase in number of migrants in an irregular situation, resulting from Mauritania’s geographical location and activities of networks organizing illegal emigration from Africa to other countries;
• Consular services for Mauritanians working abroad. 

The discussions will take place in Room XII at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 11 April from 15:00-18:00 (14:00-17:00 in Mauritania) and on 12 April from 10:00-13:00 (09:00-12:00). The Committee will also be briefed by representatives of NGOs, UN bodies and specialised agencies. More information about the review here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1044&Lang=en

The Committee, which is also reviewing Lesotho, Senegal and Turkey, will publish its findings here on 25 April: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1044&Lang=en

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell - +41 22 917 9466 / ethrossell@ohchr.org

Background

CMW members are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. More information on the Committee:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CMW/Pages/CMWIndex.aspx

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