Ratifying the UN Migrant Workers Convention: Current Difficulties and Prospects

Abstract

Although international fora are being reinforced and official statements are made stressing the importance to adhere to human rights conventions, states are very reluctant to sign and ratify the 1990 UN Migrant Workers Convention. In this article we will explore the reasons why, at a time when the legal protection of migrant workers is needed as never before, it has become difficult to adopt and implement human rights standards which protect them. These reasons relate to the general political and social climate as well as to the content and character of the Convention.