In focus: International Migrants Day 2023
Women and girls are estimated to make up about half of the world’s 281 million international migrants. Whether they move for economic opportunities, to escape conflict or climate change, to flee gender-based violence, or to pursue an education, they are all making essential contributions to societies around the globe.
On this year’s International Migrants Day, 18 December, UN Women celebrates how migrants can bring diverse talent and expertise to countries around the world, including by sending vital remittances to their families and communities, supporting livelihoods and helping economies to thrive.
The day is also a time to examine the multiple forms of discrimination faced by migrants, including the gendered impacts on women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Women migrant workers are more likely than men to work in service sectors such as domestic and care work, and gender stereotypes limit women’s autonomy and decision-making, increasing their risks of human rights violations.
migrants are women or girls
was sent in remittances to low- and middle-income countries in 2022
people are displaced within the borders of their home countries
Source: November 2023 Key Global Migration Figures report by the UN International Organization for Migration.
If countries embrace gender-responsive migration governance to eliminate barriers, address discrimination and promote and protect the rights of migrant women, they can ensure safer migration for all while advancing gender equality and supporting the well-being of all migrants and their communities.
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