This record is subject to correction.Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Editing Unit, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.Any corrections to the records of the meetings of the Committee at this session will be consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session.GE.07-45638 (E) 041207 061207 UNITED NATIONS

CMW

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Distr.

GENERAL

CMW/C/SR.68

6 December 2007

Original: ENGLISH

COMMITTEE ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL MIGRANT

WORKERS AND MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES

Seventh session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 68th MEETING

Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva,

on Friday, 30 November 2007, at 3 p.m.

Chairperson: Mr. KARIYAWASAM

CONTENTS

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 73 OF THE CONVENTION (continued)

CLOSURE OF THE SESSION

The meeting was called to order at 3.15 p.m.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 73 OF THE CONVENTION (agenda item 3) (continued)

Draft concluding observations on the initial report of Ecuador

The CHAIRPERSON said that the Committee, at its 60th and 61st meetings, held on 26 and 27 November 2007, had considered the initial report of Ecuador (CMW/C/ECU/1), an exercise which had been very useful since the issues faced by the State party, as a sending, receiving and transit country for migrants, reflected all aspects of the migratory process that were relevant to the Convention. The many positive steps the State party had already taken towards implementing the provisions of the Convention could serve as good practices from which other countries could learn. He invited the Country Rapporteur to summarize the Committee’s concluding observations on the initial report of Ecuador.

Mr. ALBA (Country Rapporteur) said that the State party should be commended for the many positive steps it had taken to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers. It had demonstrated the political will to address the rights of migrants through ratification of the Convention; it had shown constructive engagement by meeting its reporting obligations, bringing a sizeable delegation to present its report, and engaging in a frank discussion with the Committee; and it had taken specific actions to address issues affecting migrants, such as the creation of a number of specialized institutions. The Committee also welcomed the State party’s adoption of bilateral agreements with both countries that employed Ecuadorian migrant workers and countries of origin of migrant workers travelling to Ecuador.

In spite of that progress, efforts still needed to be made in certain key areas. The State party’s domestic policy should be fully brought into line with its obligations under the Convention; in that regard, it was encouraging that the State party had itself recognized that some of its legal provisions relating to migrants were obsolete and should be updated. The State party should develop awareness-raising programmes for judicial officials on the importance of the provisions of the Convention, make the declarations provided for in articles 76 and 77 of the Convention, and accede to ILO Convention No. 143 as soon as possible.

The Committee further recommended that the State party refine its system for evaluating information on migration, with particular emphasis on migrants entering Ecuador, that it continue and expand its education and training efforts in the context of its National Plan for Human Rights, and that it promote awareness-raising about the Convention, particularly in areas where there was a concentration of immigrants, in order to combat their social marginalization and stigmatization.

The Committee welcomed the fact that the State party was currently reviewing the constitutionality of the exit permits required for Ecuadorian citizens to leave the country and recommended the elimination of that requirement. It also hoped that the State party would establish a legal framework to regulate expulsion and deportation procedures in accordance with articles 22 and 23 of the Convention.

Particular care should be taken to ensure the protection of vulnerable groups affected by migration, such as women - migrant female domestic workers in particular - and children. Children should be protected from undue exposure to hazardous forms of labour or sexual exploitation, and their right to education should be ensured, regardless of their legal status; and women’s access to medical care, emergency medical care in particular, should be guaranteed.

The State party should also provide guarantees of access to the executive bodies of trade unions for documented migrant workers and members of their families. The Committee recommended that the State party continue and intensify its efforts to counter trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and to strengthen the effectiveness of the justice system in order to bring perpetrators of trafficking to justice.

He hoped that the Committee’s recommendations would be transmitted for consideration and action to Government officials and that its concluding observations would be disseminated as widely as possible, including to public agencies, the judiciary, non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society.

CLOSURE OF THE SESSION

After the customary exchange of courtesies, the CHAIRPERSON declared the seventh session closed.

The meeting rose at 3.40 p.m.