Undocumented women migrants particularly vulnerable, Bangladeshi envoy says

Undocumented women and girl migrants are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, Masud Bin Momen, Bangladeshi ambassador to the UN, said here Thursday.

Bin Momen spoke alongside high-level UN officials at a panel discussion on women and migration held during the annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

While women make up roughly half of all migrants worldwide, their experiences of migration can often be different to men's. "Research shows women tend to remit a larger share of their income to the families in the place of origin," Bin Momen said.

Despite the contributions that women migrants make, both economically and through the exchange of ideas and values, they are also exposed to significant challenges, said Bin Momen.

"Unfortunately the women migrants tend to be more exposed to abuses than their male counterparts, they are at more risk of being subjected to sexual exploitation, they are often paid less than their male counterparts," he said. "Many migrants work in sectors that expose them to abuse, in particular domestic work."

For her part, Karen AbuZayd, UN special adviser on the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants which will take place here in September 2016, also spoke during the panel discussion.

"We know that many migrant women and girls face hardship, danger, abuse and exploitation as they travel, especially if they use irregular channels for migration," said AbuZayd. "The first priority for the migrant should not be her legal status but her human needs."

Meanwhile, Peter Sutherland, UN Special representative of the secretary-general for international migration, called on governments to remember that migrants are people not numbers.

"Behind each number ... is an individual, a girl dying on a beach, sexual slavery imposed on unfortunate people, an adolescent boy who has dodged being drafted into a terrible war, or a mother trying to provide for her family," said Sutherland.

Sutherland said that governments which place a cap on migrant numbers are putting "a cap on providing sanctuary for such people." Enditem