National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in association with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) held an international forum on October 24, 2006 to seek for ways to protect and raise human rights in migration management and in the process of establishing migration policies in the Korean society as it is becoming more multi-cultural and multi-racial.
From the IOM, Vassiliy Yuzhanin, Julian Circo, and Jung Hae Lee participated as keynote speakers at the forum delivering presentations on the topic of " migration and human rights" , " national security and human rights of migrants" , and " social integration of migrants" . The forum provided an opportunity to discuss and deliberate on the current issues in international migration law, migration and labor, and related topics on family, sex, social integration, and irregular migration.
The forum was followed by a three day " International Training Workshop on Human Rights and Migration Management" from October 25 to 27. Participants at the workshop included professionals and government officers in the related field and also representatives from non-government organizations dealing with migration issues. The workshop consisted of a series of lectures by the three representatives from the IOM staff followed by group exercise sessions and discussion among participants. The participants were able to exchange opinion based on their experience and expertise in the diverse areas of migration management in the wider context and principle of international migration management.
Through the forum and workshop, the fact that the social integration of migrants and all migration management issues must reflect the fundamental values and protection of human rights was emphasized. Also it provided an opportunity to understand and apply these principles in the Korean context to deal with the increasing number of labor migrants and the issue of social integration of migrants in the Korean society.
