Morocco urges for ratification of international convention on protection of migrant labor rights
Morocco-Regional, Economics, 4/12/2001

Morocco renewed on Wednesday a call on countries to speed up and activate the signing and ratification of the international convention for the protection of migrant labor rights, stressing that the upsurge of xenophobia and racism contradict the values of humanism.

Lotfi Bouchaara, a Moroccan diplomat in Geneva, told the 57th session of the human rights commission, economic and political reasons have intensified migration flows between the two banks of the Mediterranean in the 20th century.

He cited figures published by the International Migration Office which says that in 1975 some 388,000 Morocco were registered as unskilled workers in Europe and in 1992, this category was three times higher and reached 1.3 million persons, including 60% of men.

Deploring the present trend of mounting xenophobia, intolerance to cultural diversity and racism, he warned that this situation might entail serious hazards for the Mediterranean region which could become a separation area between the north and the south.

Morocco, he went on, notes with regret the upsurge of xenophobia, racism and exclusion as totally contradictory with the values of humanism and respect of human dignity that should guide the human rights commission action. It also deplores the vision of immigrant workers as scape goats and easy targets in industrialized societies which are facing economic and social hardships.

Only 15 states have so far ratified the international convention on the protection of migrant workers rights and their families but Morocco says there has been some progress since the previous session.

The Moroccan representative said the world summit on racism, slated for this summer in South Africa, should be an opportunity to take concrete measures to consolidate and enlarge the rights of migrants.

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