At U.N. hearing Catholic migration group calls human rights central

Published: 2006-07-14

UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- Human rights are key to resolving international migration problems, a Catholic official said July 12 at a U.N. General Assembly hearing on international migration and development. "Rights are not the 'opposite' of practical. In fact rights solve problems," said John Bingham, head of advocacy of the International Catholic Migration Commission. "As an organization of the Catholic Church working with migrants worldwide regardless of faith, race or nationality," he said, "we would mention five human rights especially important to migration: "The right to life; the right to work and to be paid a fair wage; the right to movement, including out of and back to one's own country; the right to stay in one's own country -- closely related to the right to development; and we would emphasize, especially here, the right to participate actively in decisions that affect one's life, family and community." "Migration and development work best when basic human rights are respected," Bingham said.

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