Introduction

This chapter traces the history and level of NGO and civil society involvement at various key stages in the life of the ICRMW. It studies how, and how effectively, civil society has campaigned for ratification of the Convention and used it as an advocacy tool.

The engagement of NGOs with the Convention has been uneven. Compared with civil society engagement in the development of other key international human rights instruments, its participation in the drafting was minimal, mainly due to the political context and the stage in the evolution of the human rights movement. Nevertheless, there was civil society involvement directly after the adoption of the Convention, including that of some international NGOs, among which were faith-based and women's organizations, as well as trade unions and a number of national and regional NGOs in many regions, primarily in Asia (see Chapter 7). Since the early to mid 1990s, a small-scale but steadily growing group of NGOs has mobilized awareness-raising initiatives and a global ratification campaign. There have been calls for ratification in all regions, and sustained NGO advocacy for the human rights of migrants and towards ratification exist in some thirty countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America, and to a lesser extent in Africa.

The following sections analyse NGO involvement in standard-setting, including the specific context for the drafting and adoption of the ICRMW; review related NGO activities in the period from adoption to entry into force; highlight ongoing NGO ratification campaigns; and detail NGO monitoring of the implementation of the Convention as well as related documenting of violations of the human rights of migrant workers and members of their families.