The 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families covers all individuals who are working, have worked or are intending to work outside their country of nationality; and members of their immediate family and dependents. The Convention applies universal human rights standards to the situation facing migrant workers and their family and as such promotes access to humane working and living conditions. It provides guidance on national migration policies to ensure that minimum standards of human dignity are protected. It also contains strategies for international cooperation based on respect for human rights and the rule of law.
The full text of the Convention is available here.
The Convention sets out in a single instrument the rights to which migrants are entitled; most of these rights have already been accepted by states through their ratification of the six other core human rights treaties and ILO labour standards. The 1990 Convention, which came into force in 2003 and is at present ratified by 45 states.
A full list of countries that have ratified the convention is available here.
Like the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Migrant Workers Convention addresses the human rights of a particularly vulnerable population: migrant workers and their families. Like the Convention Against Torture it addresses obscene human rights violations faced by ordinary men and women.
More information on the Convention is available here.
A brief FAQ about the Convention is available here.
Join the campaign for Australian ratification of the Migrant Workers Convention.