Four Rohingya boys鈥擬uhammed, Riyad, Ahmed, and Sultan鈥攆ind solace in football and the support of shelter staff in Thailand as they prepare for resettlement in Canada, holding on to dreams of education and brighter futures.
Migrants
In her role as a Protection staff member with the International Organization for Migration (), Latifa dedicates herself every day to supporting vulnerable communities in Yemen.
Meet musician Austin Zhang who uses the power of music, by harmonizing his saxophone jazz melodies with a recording of his mother鈥檚 own story of migration to accentuate the emotions of her story. In this episode of the UN Human Rights podcast, #s, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights () focuses on how migration is not one-dimensional and why telling individual stories of migration, which reflects all dimensions of people can help avoid the pitfall of triggering a harmful narrative about migration.
Amara and Aisha, ages 16 and 15, are from Eastern Ethiopia. Both decided to seek better economic opportunities in Saudi Arabia, inspired by a neighbor's sister who had found financial success there. They enlisted the help of a local smuggler to travel through Somalia and Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, with the promise of finding work as maids to gradually pay off the smuggling fees. They escaped the smugglers in Bossaso, on the northern coast of Somalia, and found refuge at a local Migration Response Centre (MRC) run by the International Organization for Migration ().
In 2023, Yemen saw a significant arrival of women and girls from the Horn of Africa, totalling 21,130, including 3,773 girls. Many of these migrants endured severe forms of sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation, inflicted by ruthless traffickers and smugglers. Rehana was one of those who faced these horrors firsthand. Arriving at the International Organization for Migration () facilities in Aden, many migrants, like Rehana, suffer from injuries, severe dehydration, and abuse. Held by smugglers in abysmal conditions, they endure physical and sexual violence. Rehana, like many others, receives mental health and psychological support at the Migrants Response Point, aiding her emotional recovery.
On June 10, 2024, a boat capsized off Yemen's coast near Shabwah, resulting in 56 deaths and 129 missing migrants, with Dr. Abdulraheem Al Mehdar of the IOM heroically leading rescue efforts.
Frederick's journey highlights the harsh realities faced by migrants, but through a program by , he and others like him receive comprehensive support to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
The "" project in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, seeks to bridge important gaps in social protection access and policy for the region's migrant workforce.
As of 20 April 2024, the International Organization for Migration () and the UN Refugee Agency () in Pakistan that over 550,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan under coercive conditions since last September. Over 31,000 Afghans were detained in Pakistan during the same period. Afghanistan will struggle to absorb the high number of returnees. IOM provides legal aid to displaced Afghans while leading a border consortium of humanitarian partners. The Organization calls for countries to halt forced returns until safe, dignified, and voluntary returns are ensured.
Over the past 13 years, conflict has ravaged Northwest Syria, leaving scars on both the land and its people. In February 2023, after earthquakes dealt a further blow, crippling vital water infrastructure, residents of camps in the northwest faced prolonged water shortages due to damage sustained by a crucial elevated water tank. However, the International Organization for Migration () managed to reconstruct three elevated water tanks, restoring access to safe and clean water for over 67,500 earthquake-affected communities.
Every year, thousands of migrants are killed or disappear while attempting the perilous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border, making it one of the world's riskiest and deadliest land routes for migrants, human rights groups say. Many are forced to migrate to escape poverty, violence and human rights abuses. Faced with increasingly restrictive migration policies and limited opportunities for safe and regular migration, many resort to unsafe and irregular routes. works with Member States, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions, migrants, families and other stakeholders to ensure access to justice and the protection of the human rights of all .
Unlocking migration鈥檚 potential is key to accelerating efforts to meet the significant challenges of the 2030 Agenda. People on the move are powerful drivers for development in both their origin and destination countries, serving as workers, students, entrepreneurs, family members, artists, and much more. On International Migrants Day (18 December), we celebrate and reflect on the contributions of millions of migrants worldwide. Every person can make a difference. Every person can be an agent of change. Our collective actions today will prepare us for a better tomorrow.
offers humanitarian assistance and protection services to a young migrant mother, who undertook a perilous journey to Yemen in search of better livelihood opportunities.
With 140 million women and girls on the move, accounting for half of the world's migrants, the International Organization for Migration recognizes that gender inequalities manifest differently depending on where women find themselves in the world. A new competition called 鈥淲omen on the Wall,鈥 saw nine artists from seven different countries paying tribute to a remarkable migrant woman, known and celebrated for her achievements in technology and innovation, through visual art in a public space.
Technologies can be used for good by providing migrants with the ability to stay connected to their families and communities and to make complaints about chronic abuses. However, a new from reveals technologies can also harm human rights during the migration processes, with no real safeguards put in place. The report exposes multiple harms linked to the use of digital technologies in the management of borders, such as biometric recognition tools and massive interoperable databases, often linking information across government sectors and deployed in insecure ways. Emotion detection systems are also being used to justify migration decisions, leading to biased and discriminatory practices.