International Migrants Day A Much-Needed Acknowledgement, Agrees Houston Immigration Lawyer
Jan 3, 2013
Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) January 2, 2013 – December 18 was International Migrants Day.
International Migrants Day is observed world wide, and was designated in 2000 by the General Assembly of United Nations. On December 18, 1990, the General Assembly agreed upon an international convention which outlined rights for migrant workers and their family members.
The day was chosen to take into account the vast and still-increasing number of people working throughout the world. Now, International Migrants Day is observed in many different countries, by governmental and non-governmental organizations, human rights organizations and political freedom orginizations. The goal of International Migrants Day is to ensure the protection and basic rights of migrant workers.
“Migrants continue to be a largely unseen workforce in the U.S. and internationally,” said Houston immigration attorney Annie Banerjee. “International Migrants day is just one of the ways we can begin to recognize the positive impact of migrant workers.”
The Migrant Rights International and the Steering Committee for the Global Campaign for Ratification of the International Convention on Migrants’ Rights, along with numerous other organizations, started campaigning in 1999 for an official UN designation of an International Migrant’s Day. The UN’s proclamation was seen as support for migrants and their rights. The UN then issued an invitation to all of the UN member states and for intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to help disseminate human rights information on and for migrant workers.
Some 132 member states came together in 2006 to participate in the General Assembly’s “High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development,” and to draft several key messages about migrating rights, including the acknowledgement that international migration was not only a phenomenon, but one which was continuing to grow.
The member states also agreed that migrants have the opportunity and ability to positively impact the countries in which they worked, as well as their countries of origin, if their work was supported by affirming policies. They also agreed that migrants should be afforded fundamental rights and freedoms, and that unified cooperation was needed for international migration to succeed bilaterally, regionally and globally.
International Migrants Day is marked by a global radio marathon, which allows migrant rights’ workers, migrant communities and policy makers to voice issues concerning migrant workers and the need for policy changes.
Annie Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer specializing in helping people become United States citizens. The law offices assist in visas and other legal immigration requirements as well. To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.
Law Offices of Annie Banerjee
131 Brooks Street, Suite #300
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Phone: (281) 242-9139
