Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has asked lawmakers across the globe to enact laws that protect the rights of migrant women.
Kadaga also called on parliamentarians to play a critical role in policy formulation to ensure that their governments adhere to international laws pertaining human rights and freedoms.
“We can use our powers to ensure meaningful, balanced and informed responses to migration, that management of human mobility in both international and local levels is more effective when parliaments cooperate with each other through regional and international forums,” she said.
She made the call during the 139th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference being held in Geneva, Switzerland which runs from October 14 to 18, 2018.
Kadaga informed the delegates that Uganda hosts many refugees and it has ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
“We should all honour our responsibilities as per ratification of these conventions. Unfortunately, as of September 2017, only 37 member states had ratified all the five UN legal instruments concerning international migration. Some states have not even ratified a single convention, therefore, it’s important that we focus our minds on this issue,” Kadaga added.
She also appealed to migrant host countries to respect and protect the rights of women to work and also recognize that migration is a way of improving their rights and opportunities for work within families and if they are economically empowered they can make big contributions to their families.
According to Kadaga, the issue of women is particularly important because women do not stop supporting their homes even when they move from one country to another.
IPU is a global organization of national parliaments that works with parliaments to safeguard peace and drive positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action.
The delegation from Uganda comprises of Hon. Osoru Mourine (Arua Municipality), Hon. Sebaggala Abdullatif (Kawempe Division North) Kabagyeni Rose (Kisoro District) Anyakun Esther (Nakapiripirit District), Akamba Paul (Busiki county), Mwijukye Francis (Buhweju county)