GCM Objective 1

Collect and utilize accurate and disaggregated data as a basis for evidence-based policies
Working with UN Women to advance #IWD2021’s theme of “Women in Leadership”, Jittirat Tantasirin, CEO of ATTA.
Photo: UN Women/Nicolas Axelrod

Issues

The GCM recognizes that migration policies need to be developed based on accurate, reliable, comparable data disaggregated by sex, age, migration status and other characteristics relevant in national contexts. Migrant women may face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and it is important to collect data that reflect their experiences.

Policies, laws and programmes that aim to address the specific needs and priorities of all migrant women and girls need to be informed by comprehensive sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics. This requires adopting a multisectoral approach to collecting and analyzing data and building national capacities on the collection, analysis and dissemination of data on the experiences of women and girls at all stages of migration.

Sex-disaggregated data on remittances are also needed to capture the contributions of women migrant workers to economic growth and sustainable development. Data should be independent, confidential and restricted in use for prosecution. The use of firewalls between immigration enforcement activities and public service provision would prevent data sharing and mitigate data privacy concerns.

Measures

  • Strengthened capacity of national statistics offices, ministries responsible for labour migration and immigration, including ministries responsible for anti-trafficking, and other relevant stakeholders to collect, use and disseminate data disaggregated by sex, age and disability and gender statistics on migration, including labour migration, while guaranteeing the privacy of personal data
  • Data collected include information on regular and irregular migration, the economic impacts of migration and refugee movements, smuggling, trafficking in persons, and the needs of refugees, migrants and local communities in countries of origin, transit and destination, along with other pertinent issues
  • Provision of adequate tools and human and financial resources to collect, use and disseminate sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics
  • Collection, analysis and dissemination of data disaggregated by sex, age, nationality, migration status, disability and other relevant characteristics
  • Collection, analysis and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including all forms violence against migrant women and girls
  • Collection, analysis and dissemination of gender statistics on migration that adequately reflect differences and inequalities in the situations of migrant women and men, including by taking into account gender stereotypes as well as social and cultural factors that may induce gender bias
  • Harmonization of protocols and procedures on data collection to ensure consistency in sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics across national data systems
  • Integration of questions on the gendered experiences of migrants and the sex of remittance senders and recipients in household, labour force and other relevant surveys
  • Data sharing and management across countries to close protection gaps; however, data should not be shared without prior permission
  • Prohibition of the use of personal data collected for migration-related statistics—or for other purposes such as protection, remedy, civil registration and access to services—by immigration enforcement activities or to refuse access to services
  • Firewalls that prohibit the sharing of data of migrant women and girls with immigration enforcement agencies
  • COVID-19: Collection of comprehensive sex- and age- disaggregated data on COVID-19 infections and gender statistics on the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic on migrants

Checklist

Question Yes Not yet
Do your State’s national statistics offices and/or relevant ministries produce sex-disaggregated migration data, i.e., data that is collected and presented by sex as a primary and overall classification?
Does your State collect, analyse and disseminate gender statistics that adequately reflect the differences and inequalities in the situations of women and men in migration?
Does your State collect, analyse and disseminate data on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including violence against migrant women and girls?
Do migration data collection methods take into account stereotypes and social and cultural factors that may induce gender bias in the data?
Does your State provide capacity-building to staff in national statistics offices and/or relevant ministries and departments on collecting, analysing and disseminating sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics on migration?
Does your State provide adequate human and financial resources to collect, use and disseminate sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics on migration?
Has your State harmonized protocols and procedures on data collection to ensure consistency in sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics across national data systems?
Does your State ensure the confidentiality and protection of all data collected for protection, remedy, civil registration and access to services?
If yes, does your State ensure no personal data is shared with immigration enforcement agencies?
Does your State collect data on the sex of remittance senders in household, labour force and other relevant surveys?
Does your State collect data on the sex of remittance recipients in household, labour force and other relevant surveys?
COVID-19: Does your State collect comprehensive sex- and age-disaggregated data on COVID-19 infections and gender statistics on the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic on migrants?