Directorate General of Human Rights

Vice-Ministry for Salvadorans Abroad

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

The general framework for interventions will be to promote and protect the rights of Salvadorans living abroad.

Each intervention and each project identifies which right needs to be protected, what needs to be promoted, and what needs to restored.

Definitely, the aim is to identify which are the rights that are violated and which rights need to be restored in each case.

In addition, a new concept of sovereignty needs to be implemented which not only refers to protecting the territory but also, protecting the populations living in this territory.

Within the context of globalization and given the intensity of migration flows, the concept of sovereignty refers to the role of the State of protecting, promoting, and restoring the rights of citizens regardless of where they live and work.

STRATEGIC VISION

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Protection Spheres Identified as Priorities

Victims of Human Rights

Violations

Victims of Serious Crimes

Missing Persons

Individuals Deprived of

their Freedom: Criminal System –

Deportation Process

Humanitarian Aid

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE

To establish the exercise and institutional design of protection of the human rights and sovereignty of migrant populations and their families as well as inclusion and active participation of migrants within national and local public policy regarding development.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

OBJECTIVES

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

•To facilitate the inclusion and participation of Salvadoran citizens abroad and their families in national and territorial development processes.

•To enable Salvadorans abroad and their families to enjoy their rights and actively participate in national and territorial development processes.

•To strengthen the links of Salvadorans abroad with the country and with their communities of origin.

•To contribute to the State’s compliance with international obligations on matters of human rights, with a focus on consular and diplomatic protection of Salvadorans abroad.

•To facilitate the acceptance and implementation by the State of El Salvador of international human rights regulations and international humanitarian law, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic.

•To promote respecting and ensuring the human rights of all Salvadorans living abroad in accordance with current national and international regulations, regardless of their migration status.

An active and inclusive International Migration Management Strategy to promote ongoing and temporary migration regularization programmes.

A project for establishing a Humanitarian Management Network to protect the human rights of migrants. Particularly, establishing a legal assistance network for migrants and a migration observatory for migrants in transit.

An efficient and transparent consular network within a framework of openness, solidarity, and inclusion with a legal focus.

A programme for receiving, promoting, and facilitating the social and productive reintegration of Salvadorans returned by air and land.

STRATEGIC PROJECTS

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Comprehensive assistance to deported and returned persons

A coordination process for a dignified reception

“Bienvenido a Casa” (Welcome Home) Programme: Operating Technical Committee; DGME Agreement; Signing of Local Agreements and MOU with Mexico.

Establishing a mechanism to promote reintegration opportunities

Productive coordination mechanisms (local organizations, enterprises, civil society)Regional assistance centres5% of deported persons assisted“De-stigmatization” Campaign

REINTEGRATION OF RETURNED POPULATIONS

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Migrants and their families:Improving the quality of life and integration conditions in the

country of destination and in El Salvador.

Promoting legal and labour certainty in the country of destination.

Strengthening family unification and roots in their communities of origin.

Migrants in transit and refugees:Ensuring protection and enjoyment of human rights, especially

for boys, girls, and women.

BENEFITING THE MOST VULNERABLE AND

MARGINATED POPULATIONS

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Consular units in charge of providing consular protection and ensuring the human rights of Salvadoran migrants in transit to the US.

Signing International Human Rights Agreements: Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (UN Assembly, September 2009), Optional Protocol of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Commitment taken on under the Universal Periodic Review in February 2010).

Establishing dialogue processes with victims of human rights violations, with the aim of complying with international recommendations (cases of: Mons. Romero; Serrano sisters; García Prieto, and others).

Developing, by consensus, a “Joint Strategy of El Salvador – Guatemala – Dominican Republic” (including 11 items), to be considered within the framework of the US Migration Reform as a regional proposal.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Establishing, by Executive Decree No.5, the National Committee to Search for Boys and Girls Reported Missing during the internal armed conflict (January 2010).

“Regional Guidelines for the Assistance to Unaccompanied Boys, Girls, and Adolescents in Cases of Repatriation” approved in July 2009 at the XIV RCM in Guatemala, which promote collaboration between RCM member states in the protection and repatriation of unaccompanied boys, girls, and adolescents and which are a guide for the repatriation of unaccompanied boys, girls, and adolescents safeguarding their rights and Best Interest.

Recognizing the authority of the organizations of the Inter-American Human Rights System and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and their sentences and recommendations. Cases of Mons. Romero, Jesuit priests, and missing children, and Universal Declaration of Human Rights (November 2009, Washington, DC; February 2010, Geneva; March 2010, Washington, DC).

Signing an Agreement between El Salvador and Mexico about respect for and compliance with the human rights of Salvadoran migrants in transit to the United States (Sept. 11, 2009), with the objective of protecting irregular migrant Salvadorans in transit to the US.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Actions to protect the human rights and provide humanitarian aid to Salvadorans abroad, implemented from June 2009 to March 2010 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Providing assistance to the families of Salvadorans abroad, repatriation of unaccompanied boys, girls, and adolescents, deceased persons, injured persons, sick persons, locating SALEX, negotiating food allowances, etc.

Developing the “National Guidelines to Strengthen Institutional Coordination to Combat Trafficking in Persons” , with the aim of strengthening inter-institutional coordination between public and private entities to combat trafficking in persons and providing assistance to victims.

Assistance and follow-up for refugee applicants from different nationalities who expressed that they were being persecuted or had reasonable fear of losing their lives in their countries of origin.

A permanent invitation to the special mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights (commitment taken on under the Universal Periodic Review in February 2010).

“Agreement on Monitoring and Respecting the Basic Rights of Salvadoran and Central American Migrants in the South of Mexico between José Vasconcelos University of Oaxaca S.C. and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador”, signed in January 2010 in Oaxaca, Chiapas, Mexico, to establish a Monitoring Centre to facilitate protecting the human rights of Salvadoran and Central American migrants who are in transit through Mexican territory.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Establishing an ongoing inter-institutional coordination table to ensure compliance with recommendations made by the Inter-American Human Rights System.

Submitting (and approval) of a cooperation project to the US Government to strengthen the “Bienvenido a Casa” (Welcome Home) Programme, with a special focus on the reintegration of returned migrants.

An agreement with Guatemala on efforts oriented toward joint collaboration on matters of consular protection and humanitarian aid for Guatemalan and Salvadoran migrants; including a joint observatory to monitor the status of human rights of migrants from both countries who are in transit through Mexican territory.

Advances toward compliance with the "Serrano Cruz Sisters“ sentence of the Inter-American Human Rights Court: normalizing complimentary medical services and signing an Inter-Institutional Agreement on Psycho-Social Assistance for the Serrano Cruz Family, in compliance with a sentence issued by the Inter-American Human Rights Court in January 2010.

Providing assistance to Salvadorans repatriated by land from the United Mexican States at the Centre for Assistance to Migrants located at the La Hachadura border, Ahuachapán, to provide medical and psychological care, food, clothes, and shelter to Salvadoran migrants repatriated by land. Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

A common Central American position (adopted on May 27 – 28, 2010) regarding key impacts of the crisis on migration and development, with the objective of contributing to the establishment of priority programmes/projects aimed at reducing the impacts of the crisis in Central America, in view of the II Iberoamerican Forum on Migration and Development, held in El Salvador on July 22-23, 2010.

Establishing a dialogue process with civil society involved in addressing the topic of migration, with the aim of implementing joint actions on matters of migration that have been established as relevant to both parties.

A Fund for the return of Salvadoran migrants to support repatriation processes of injured, sick, or vulnerable Salvadoran migrants or Salvadorans who died while in transit to their destination country. The Fund is managed by IOM.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

RESOURCES REQUIREDThe resources required refer to technical coordination actions to achieve institutional objectives relating to matters of protection of human rights of Salvadorans abroad:

Consular coordination with local authorities and civil society organizations in their respective jurisdictions is important in establishing the networks.

Signing Memos, Agreements, and Letters of Understanding to consolidate protection of the human rights of Salvadorans abroad.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs

RESOURCES REQUIRED

Data collection and a report on the results of the process of assessing and monitoring the human rights of Salvadorans abroad.

Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs