Belize

An IOM study found 57 active regularization initiatives in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic. Of these, 24 had been created explicitly for people in irregular status, while the rest benefited them tangentially by allowing them to present their documentation. Despite these advances, the study identified four major challenges that must be addressed in the coming years to ensure better migration management in the region.

Desde 2014 se han registrado 5.755 muertes durante viajes migratorios en Centroamérica, Norteamérica y el Caribe, dejando a decenas de miles de familiares en busca de respuestas. Esta crisis humanitaria en curso se pone de manifiesto en una serie de informes sobre migrantes desaparecidos en la región, publicados hoy por el Proyecto Migrantes Desaparecidos de la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM).

The Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous People’s Affairs (MHDFIPA) of Belize launched the new TIP Module on the Ministry’s case management system FAMCare in partnership with The International Organization for Migration (IOM). Between 2019 and 2020, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Council (ATIPs) in Belize identified 6 victims, and provided medical, psychosocial and legal care for 19 more identified in previous years.

On October 29, more than 50 people from the member countries of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) concluded a training and awareness-raising process for employment counselors. The course sought to provide context on labour migration in the region, inform about the profiles of migrants and improve practices for their inclusion in the labour market.

On October 20, 2021, the third edition of the "Specialized virtual course on migrant children in the Americas" opened with a discussion on the rights of migrant children and adolescents. This is part of a joint effort between the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Institute for Children and Adolescents of the Organization of American States (IIN-OAS). 

The International Forum on Digitalization, Migration and Development promoted by IOM and ILO, analyzed how migrant workers are involved in socio-labour dynamics that do not escape the new trends that the future of work presents, and digitalization could contribute to safe, orderly and regular labour migration under decent work conditions.These tools include the creation of innovative digital platforms of public institutions; new systems to process work permits quickly and expeditiously by virtual means, with a focus on the protection of public health; to the adoption of laws that encourage the mobility of "digital nomads", willing to telework from anywhere in the world.

On September 16th, the International Organization for Migration discussed key findings on ethical recruitment, based on the new Study entitled: Mapping the current needs of the Citrus Industry regarding Labour Migration and Ethical Recruitment Practices in Belize.   The Labour Force Survey 2020 indicates that migrants make up 18.7 percent of the Belizean labour force, but over 70 percent of the workers in the citrus industry.

This specialized assistance strengthened the competencies and managerial capacities of diaspora organizations as social enterprises, in order to achieve the sustainability of their processes and the social impact of their actions. The first class includes 51 people from 14 countries.

The second part of the technical exchange of practices on fair recruitment and labor protection of migrant workers was held the 24 May 2021, as part of the Regional Conference on Migration. The session was led by the International Labour Organization, jointly moderated with the International Organization of Migration, and gathered the participation of 61 participants from 11 RCM Member Countries’ representatives, private sector and civil society organizations, as well as observer agencies.