Mexico

Tapachula, Chiapas. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Migration Policy Unit, and municipal governments, held the 2^nd Meeting on Municipal Migration Information Centers, in Chiapas, Mexico on April 8-12.

The human mobility dimension of crises is growing more and more relevant as crisis produce more complex and larger-scale migration flows. However, the response of States and the international community to a migration crisis is often reactive. One of the challenges is to increase the capacities of decision makers to plan and develop contingency plans for large-scale human movements.

The communication pillar of the Regional Migration Program (Mesoamerica Program) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be enhanced by contributions from the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship of Canada. The objective of the collaboration is to expand the information people in northern Central American countries receive about regular migration pathways and the risks of irregular migration. 

In 2018, the Regional Migration Program: Mesoamerica-The Caribbean of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) selected four communities in Guatemala (Salcajá), Honduras (Cofradía), Mexico (Tapachula), and El Salvador (Ahuachapán) with the goal of implementing communication for development processes aimed at promoting positive behavioral change with respect to migration.  

March 20. The International Organization for Migration, through the Regional Migration Program: Mesoamerica-The Caribbean, held a meeting with the National Employment Service and various civil society organizations with the goal of preparing a needs analysis to improve capacities for labor inclusion of migrants in Mexico.

The Regional Migration Program: Mesoamerica-The Caribbean of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) participated in three departmental forums during the month of March to commemorate International Women’s Day, organized in conjunction with the Puentes Project and World Vision. 

The forums were titled “Risks of Irregular Migration for Women and Girls” and panelists participated from the Program and other organizations such as UN Women, the Office of the Prosecutor for Human Rights, and the Attorney General’s Office.

The Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Human Trafficking of Guatemala and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with support from Lawyers Without Borders, held the first Regional Congress on human trafficking March 5-6 in Guatemala City, addressing the removal and trafficking of human organs and tissues. Experts and prosecutors from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Belize participated.

In response to the so-called “migrant caravans” in Central America, in October 2018 the International Organization for Migration (IOM) created a special temporary program to assist the voluntary return of migrants stranded in Mexico or Guatemala who lack the necessary resources to return to their homes. To date, IOM has provided assistance for the voluntary return of 1,195 people, 48 of whom are unaccompanied minors.