On the occasion of December 18, International Migrants Day, an informative conference on “Migrant Rights and Human Trafficking in the Context of Human Rights” was held via Zoom by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Human Rights Studies Application and Research Center and the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (TİHEK) In the program where TİHEK Assistant Expert Celal Araz participated as a speaker, Araz stated that Türkiye is the country hosting the most refugees in the world with 3.7 million people.
TİHEK Assistant Expert Celal Araz participated as a speaker in the conference moderated by Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, Director of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Human Rights Studies Application and Research Center (İHAMER). In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı touched upon the background of December 18, International Migrants Day, stating that it is based on the signing of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 1990. Prof. Dr. Süleymanlı stated, “Human trafficking is a crime against humanity and one of the gravest human rights violations that can be encountered in the migration process, emphasizing that the victims of this crime are women, men, and children in different countries of the world.”
TİHEK Assistant Expert Celal Araz began his speech by first providing information based on terminology related to the field of migration. In the conference, where Araz discussed the distinctions between concepts such as “migrant, refugee, asylum seeker, and secondary protection,” he spoke about the importance of international human rights conventions related to migration and human trafficking. Emphasizing that children constitute 41 percent of forcibly displaced persons worldwide and that this situation necessitates more effective action plans, Araz stated that Türkiye is the country hosting the most refugees in the world with approximately 3.7 million people, and that our country provides exemplary services to migrants in many areas such as education and health. He also stated that the rapidly increasing xenophobia worldwide is alarming.”
Furthermore, in the final part of his speech, Araz stated that TİHEK has very important duties regarding migrants under Law No. 6701, and he shared with the participants the institution’s decisions concerning the fight against discrimination and equality, as well as its annual and thematic reports published in the context of the protection and promotion of human rights.
The conference concluded with participants' questions being answered.