International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

The Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CRMW) aims to protect migrant workers and their families from exploitation and human rights violations irrespective of their migration status.

The Convention reaffirms the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights conventions.

The Convention defines civil and political rights in relation to the specific situation of migrant workers (e.g. the right to have consular authorities informed in the event they are arrested) and contains provisions on breaches of migration legislation and prohibitions (e.g. prohibition of collective expulsions).

It also sets out the economic, social and cultural rights of migrant workers in view of their particular situation, e.g. the right to basic medical care or the right of access to education for children of migrant workers.

The UN adopted the Convention on 18 December 1990. It came into force on 1 July 2003. Switzerland has neither signed nor ratified the Convention.

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families monitors the states parties' fulfilment of their obligations under the Convention. The states parties must regularly report on the measures they have taken to implement the Convention's provisions and document both progress and difficulties.

Each state party must submit an initial report to the Committee within the first year following ratification. Further reports are due on a five-yearly basis.

Committee on Migrant Workers

In addition to the state reporting procedure, states parties may recognise the competence of the Committee to conduct individual and interstate complaints procedures. This mechanism has not yet entered into force, as fewer than 10 states parties have recognised the Committee's competence.