GCM Objective 11

Manage borders in an integrated, secure and coordinated manner
Hanan, UN Women’s Senior Area Coordinator for Za’atari refugee camp is pictured with Shatha, UN Women’s Senior Camp Assistant of Oasis 2 and Rana and Taghreed.
Photo: UN Women/Christopher Herwig

Issues

Managing borders must be done in a manner that is gender-responsive, child-sensitive, disability-sensitive and culturally sensitive, upholding the principle of non-discrimination and ensuring that all migrants, irrespective of their migration status, are treated with dignity and respect. Integrating a gender perspective into border management policies and processes can help create more representative and diverse border management institutions and processes and improve the identification of and assistance provided to migrant women and girls in vulnerable situations, including victims of trafficking.

Border management policies must respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all migrant women and girls, ensuring that measures aimed at addressing irregular migration and combating transnational organized crime do not adversely affect the rights and dignity of women and girls.

Measures

  • Border management policies that respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all migrant women and girls, paying particular attention to women and adolescent girls who are pregnant, older persons, those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and those with medical conditions and disabilities
  • Elimination of discriminatory entry restrictions, including based on HIV status, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity
  • State fulfilment of international asylum and refugee obligations, as well as non-criminalization or incarceration of asylum seekers
  • Border police and other officials trained in gender-responsive, child-sensitive, disability-sensitive and non-discriminatory practices, with adequate supervision and monitoring and the capacity to detect victims of trauma, including trafficking in persons and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
  • Measures to ensure gender-responsive identification, assistance, referral and protection of migrants in situations of vulnerability, victims of trauma, including victims of trafficking in persons and SGBV, at or near international borders
  • Direct communication with women and girls and not exclusively through a male spouse, relative or guardian
  • Reception and assistance facilities at borders that are gender-responsive, accessible and meet human rights and humanitarian standards, including the provision of adequately trained women case workers, lawyers, interviewers and independent interpreters as well as childcare during interviews
  • Detection and referral by trained staff at borders of victims of trafficking in persons and other situations of exploitation
  • COVID-19: Promotion of the human rights of all migrants in relation to specific border management measures related to the pandemic

Checklist

Question Yes Not yet
Has your State adopted border management policies that respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all migrant women and girls, paying particular attention to women and adolescent girls who are pregnant, older persons, those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and those with medical conditions and disabilities?
Has your State eliminated discriminatory entry restrictions, including based on HIV status, pregnancy, disability or sexual orientation and gender identity?
Has your State signed and ratified all international human rights treaties pertaining to asylum and refugee rights?
If yes, does your State uphold a commitment to the non-criminalization or incarceration of asylum seekers?
Has your State trained border police and other officials in gender-responsive, child-sensitive, disability-sensitive and non-discriminatory practices with adequate supervision and monitoring and the capacity to detect victims of trauma, including survivors of trafficking in persons and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)?
Has your State adopted measures to ensure gender-responsive identification, assistance, referral and protection of migrants in situations of vulnerability and victims of trauma, including survivors of trafficking and SGBV, at or near international borders?
Does your State promote direct communication with women and girls and not exclusively through a male spouse, relative or guardian?
Does your State provide reception and assistance facilities at borders that are gender-responsive, accessible and meet human rights and humanitarian standards, including the provision of adequately trained women case workers, lawyers, interviewers and independent interpreters as well as childcare during interviews?
Does your State provide gender-responsive training to staff at borders and ports of entry to ensure they are able to detect and refer victims of trafficking and other situations of exploitation?
COVID-19: Does your State promote the human rights of all migrants in relation to specific border management measures related to the pandemic?