State of World Population
2006 report focuses on women and international migration

Women are half of all international migrants but their rights and specific concerns are largely ignored, says a forthcoming report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). To be released ahead of the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (New York, 14-15 September), the State of World Population 2006 stresses that migration can be a win-win situation, but only if women’s rights are protected and their needs addressed.
“Every year millions of women working millions of jobs overseas send hundreds of millions of dollars in remittance funds back to their homes and communities… For host countries, the labour of migrant women is so embedded into the very fabric of society that it goes virtually unnoticed. Migrant women toil in the households of working families, soothe the sick and comfort the elderly”, the report acknowledges.
“For a long time, the issue of women migrants has been low on the international policy agenda. Today, the world has a unique opportunity to change this: For the first time, government representatives from around the globe will be attending a United Nations session specifically devoted to migration… The explicit recognition of the human rights of women and the need for gender equality is a basic prerequisite of any sound, equitable and effective policy framework that seeks to manage migration in an orderly and humane manner”.
Launched simultaneously throughout the world on 6 September, the report entitled “A Passage to Hope: Women and International Migration” will be launched in Bangkok with a panel discussion by senior representatives of Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, UNFPA, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Vision Foundation of Thailand. The various experts will discuss key findings and recommendations of the report.
On this occasion, a supplement to the report, “Moving Young” will also be released, which features the stories of 10 young people whose lives have been shaped by migration.
Note: The report can be accessed online at www.unfpa.org