They live and work outside their countries 281 million in the world, alert UN

Jessica Xantomila and Jared Laureles

La Jornada newspaper
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, p. 6

In the world, around 281 million people live and work outside their countries of origin, who face a series of difficulties, mainly irregular migrants, such as forced labor, low wages and legal and practical barriers in terms of freedom of association, warned the UN Committee for the protection of the rights of all migratory workers and their relatives (CMW) United Nations.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that migrants earn approximately 13 percent less than nationals in high -income countries, and when the comparison is made with women, the gap reaches 19 percent, said Gladys Cisneros, head of the ILO unit for migration.

Exploit them generates 37 thousand MDD per year

In the presentation of General observation number 6 of the CMW, he pointed out that migrants face three times more risk than nationals to find in situations of forced labor. Your exploitation generates approximately 37 billion dollars in illicit profits every year.

These examples, emphasized, only highlight the urgency of protecting the guarantees of these people.

When inaugurating the session in Geneva, Switzerland, Fatimata Diallo, president of the CMW, said that contemporary migration is an increasingly complex phenomenon, due to the profiles of the displaced, the causes and the way of migrating.

The border controls are increasingly strict and the regular roads to enter and remain in countries are reduced more. The trips of migrants are longer, more fragmented and more dangerouswarned. In this regard, he said that between 2014 and 2021, more than 40 thousand women, men and children died or disappeared throughout the immigration route.

Many other disappearances have never been reported or informed. The place where they are located is unknown and the bodies have not recovered. The record figure of 8,900 killed on migratory routes was precisely in 2024he emphasized.

In his turn, Fernando Espinoza Olvera, vice -representative of Mexico before the UN Office in Geneva, stressed that being the number one country of origin, traffic, destination and return of migrants, Know the challenges well managed to manage human mobility, but it is also convinced of the opportunities and benefits that it brings if it is treated properly.

It is precisely this experience, he said, the one that has led to Mexico To play a leadership role in the construction of international frameworks that seek.