The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently concluded days of outreach program aimed at enhancing migrants’ access to justice in The Gambia.
While The Gambia, in 2017, ratified the International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW), it has not yet domesticated this important instrument that protects the rights of migrants and their families. As a state organ with the mandate to promote and protect the human rights of people in the country and with an advisory role to the government on all human rights matters, the NHRC recognises the need to engage community members on the rights of migrants to access justice and how they can respect and protect the human rights of migrants, particularly their rights to non-discrimination and protection from violence and exploitation.
The initiative funded by the PROMIS Project targeted key migrant communities, including Tanji, Gunjur, Brikama, Bundung, and Bakau, focusing on raising awareness about legal rights and available resources.
The participants range from Village Development and Ward Development Committees, women, alkalos, and youths, among others, in each of the communities.
The outreach aligns with international obligations to provide equitable access to judicial mechanisms for all individuals, regardless of their legal status.
It also aims to promote the rights of migrant workers and their families in The Gambia.
The project wants to enhance the knowledge of the migrant communities on human rights challenges faced by migrant workers and their families in The Gambia, facilitate dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among community members to collectively advance the rights of migrant workers and their families in the country, and identify the role that the community members can play to ensure that the rights of migrant workers and their families are protected.
It also seeks to facilitate migrants’ access to justice services.
During the outreach, 150 people were sensitised on the rights of migrant workers and their families.
It is envisaged that at the end of the program, the rights of migrant workers and their families will be protected in the communities they live in, and there will be knowledge sharing and collaboration among community members to collectively advance the rights of migrant workers and their families.
The NHRC emphasised the importance of protecting migrants from exploitation and discrimination, ensuring they can seek justice effectively.
Ulrike Kahbila Mbuton of the OHCHR said the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights values its relationship with the National Human Rights Commission.
“We remain ready and committed to working with all our partners in a quest for human rights and access to justice. We want to prioritise engagement with the community. We also want to emphasise the importance of migrant access to justice,” she said.
The PROMIS project is a joint initiative by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) aimed at strengthening the capacity of West African states to adopt a human rights-based response to trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, and related crimes. The project also focuses on addressing human rights violations linked to irregular migration.
