Human Rights of Migrants and Other Persons in the Context of Human Mobility in Mexico
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Human Rights of Migrants and Other Persons in the Context of Human Mobility in Mexico Organization of American States Organization of American States INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc. 48/13 30 December 2013 Original: Spanish Human Rights of Migrants and Other Persons in the Context of Human Mobility In Mexico 2013 http://www.cidh.org OAS Cataloging-in-Publication Data Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Rapporteurship on the Rights of Migrants. Derechos humanos de los migrantes y otras personas en el contexto de la movilidad humana en México / [Preparado por la Relatoría sobre los Derechos de los Migrantes de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos]. ISBN 978-0-8270-6121-7 1. Humanp. ; cm. rights--Mexico. (OAS. documentos 2. Mexico--Emigration oficiales ; OEA/Ser.L) and immigration. 3. Civil rights--Mexico. 4. Foreign workers--Legal status, laws, etc.--Mexico. I. OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc.48/13 Title. II. Series: OAS. documentos oficiales ; OEA/Ser.L. Positions herein expressed are those of the Inter-American Commission on Document published thanks to the financial support of Spain. Human Rights and do not reflect the views of Spain. Design and layout: Miki Fernández/ULTRAdesigns Cover photo: courtesy of Albergue de Migrantes Hermanos en el Camino. Stretch of cargo train railway between Arriaga (Chiapas) and Ixtepec (Oaxaca). INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS MEMBERS José de Jesús Orozco Henríquez* Tracy Robinson Rosa María Ortiz Felipe González Dinah Shelton Rodrigo Escobar Gil Rose-Marie Belle Antoine ****** Executive Secretary: Emilio Álvarez-Icaza L. Assistant Executive Secretary: Elizabeth Abi-Mershed The Commission would specially like to recognize its Executive Secretariat for preparing this report. In particular to Álvaro Botero Navarro, Human Rights Specialist, and Gloria Gordon, Document Technician. Henríquez, a Mexican national, did not participate in the discussion of, research and deliberations on, and approval * In keeping with Article 17(2) of the Commission’s Rules of Procedure, Commissioner José de Jesús Orozco of this report. Approved by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on December 30, 2013 v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 A. The scope and objectives of the report ................................................................................. 1 Workers and Their Families and its follow-up .................................................................. 3 B. Visit to Mexico by the IACHR’s Rapporteurship on the Rights of Migrant C. Structure and methodology ...................................................................................................... 15 D. Preparation, approval and follow-up of the report ......................................................... 18 ............................................. 19 F.E. The Inter-AmericanUnited Mexican CommissionStates’ observations on Human on Rightsthe report. and its Rapporteurship on the Rights of Migrants ............................................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER II Violence and Discrimination Against Migrants and Other Persons in the Context of Human Mobility in Mexico ............................................ 27 A. General observations concerning the migration phenomenon in Mexico ............ 27 1. Mexico as a country of origin for migrants ................................................................ 28 2. Mexico as a country of destination for mixed migration flows ......................... 29 3. Mexico as a transit country for mixed migration flows ....................................... 31 4. Mexico as a country of return for migrants ............................................................... 32 5. Internal migration within Mexico .................................................................................. 35 6. Internal displacement in Mexico ..................................................................................... 36 B. Principal concerns having to do with the discrimination and violence that migrants and other persons encounter in the context of human mobility .......... 36 1. Causes for human migration: the push and pull factors ...................................... 36 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights | IACHR vi Human Rights of Migrants and Other Persons in the Context of Human Mobility in Mexico 2. The vulnerability of migrants in an irregular situation in Mexico.................. 40 3. The various forms of discrimination and violence that migrants in an irregular situation experience in Mexico ................................................................... 45 a. Robberies and extortion of migrants in an irregular situation ................ 50 b. Kidnapping of migrants in an irregular situation ........................................... 51 c. Human trafficking ......................................................................................................... 63 d. Murder of migrants ....................................................................................................... 66 e. Disappearances of migrants ..................................................................................... 69 f. Disappeared and missing migrants and unidentified remains ................ 75 g. Sexual violence against migrant women ............................................................. 90 h. Migrant children ............................................................................................................. 92 i. Discrimination, abuses of authority and excessive use of force against migrants ............................................................................................................. 96 j. Access to justice and impunity ................................................................................ 98 k. Internal displacement in Mexico ............................................................................. 102 ................................................................... 105 l. Defenders of migrants’ human rights migrants and other persons in the context of human mobility ................................ 118 C. The Mexican State’s response to the discrimination and violence against 1. The legislative response ..................................................................................................... 118 2. The judicial response ........................................................................................................... 125 3. Other measures taken by the Mexican State ............................................................. 131 D. International norms and standards that apply to the violence and discrimination against migrants. ............................................................................................ 136 1. The characteristics of the international responsibility of the State in human rights matters ........................................................................................................... 138 treatment .................................................................................................................................. 140 2. Protection of the migrants’ right to life and their right to humane 3. The prohibition against trafficking in persons......................................................... 143 Organization of American States | OAS Contents vii 4. The right of migrant women to a life free of violence and discrimination ...... 145 5. The obligations to respect, ensure and not discriminate in the exercise of human rights ............................................................................................................................ 146 a. Obligation to respect .................................................................................................... 148 b. Obligation to guarantee .............................................................................................. 148 personal integrity and to liberty, and the prohibition of slavery, i. Obligation to prevent acts that violated migrants’ rights to life, to servitude and trafficking in persons ........................................................... 152 ii. The obligation to conduct an effective investigation of the facts, in accordance with Articles 8(1) and 25(1) of the Convention, derived rights to life, humane treatment and personal liberty and the from the obligation to guarantee against acts that violate migrants’ prohibition of slavery, servitude and trafficking .................................... 155 iii. Duty to adopt domestic legal provisions..................................................... 162 E. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 163 F. Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 166 CHAPTER III Immigration Detention and Due Process .................................................. 175 A. General observations .................................................................................................................... 175 B. Applicable international norms and standards on immigration detention and due process ......................................................................................................................................