The GCM aims to address and reduce vulnerabilities for all migrants. This requires understanding the specific situations of vulnerability that migrant women and girls may face. Laws and policies must promote the human rights of migrant women and girls when addressing gender-specific forms of vulnerability, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), abuse and exploitation.
Laws and policies must also address the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination faced by migrant women and girls on the basis of sex, age, disability, nationality, HIV status, race and ethnicity, marital and family status, migration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, health status, pregnancy, place of residence and economic and social situation.
Measures
Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls at all stages of migration by any person, organization or enterprise in line with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and fundamental International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions
Elimination of laws and policies, including customary laws, that place restrictions on women’s and girls’ regular migration
Elimination of laws, regulations and practices that require mandatory pre-departure and post-arrival pregnancy testing and HIV-status screening
Adoption of gender-responsive migration policies that address the needs and vulnerabilities of all migrants, including for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or other identities (LGBTIQ+), persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, religious minorities and indigenous peoples, and provide them with assistance, human rights protections and access to decent work, social protection, justice and public services
Adoption of policies that promote decent work and social protection for all women migrant workers, including domestic workers, and eradicate sexual harassment and violence in the world of work
Safe, confidential and accessible reporting and response services for migrant women and girls who experience human rights abuses and establishment of firewalls between service providers and immigration enforcement activities
Laws and policies that guarantee equal access to the full spectrum of physical and mental health care, including sexual and reproductive health care, for all migrant women and girls, regardless of migration status, with particular attention to intersecting forms of discrimination and inequalities
Regularization of the status of migrants leading to permanent residence,with specific attention to migrant women and girls with irregular migration status or who are stateless in countries of transit or destination, victims of crime, abuse or exploitation and/or survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
Laws and policies that eliminate SGBV and punish perpetrators
Access to essential services for survivors of SGBV including health, police, justice and social services such as hotlines, shelters, legal advice, psychosocial support and trauma counselling, providing interpretation as necessary
Laws and regulations that guarantee migrant women’s access to justice, legal standing, due process, the right to defence and the provision of legal aid when necessary with a firewall between the justice system and immigration authorities
Monitoring systems and trained officials that help identify and assist migrant women and girls at heightened risk of sexual exploitation, abuse and discrimination
COVID-19: Adoption of gender-responsive measures to address the heightened vulnerabilities of migrant women and girls during the pandemic and to ensure their access to rights and services, irrespective of migration status
