Migrant Protection and Assistance

A worrisome share of people on the move need targeted protection and assistance. IOM’s work in this area is based on the understanding that protection is not exclusively linked to international protection within the refugee convention. Instead, protection refers to a broader category of actions to maintain the safety and well-being of individuals in accordance with the letter and spirit of relevant bodies of law, including legal, physical and social protection measures.

IOM work in countries of arrival, transit and origin includes provision of extensive protection, assistance and case management services to the most vulnerable migrants serviced by the Organization, such as unaccompanied and separated migrant children and victims of violence, abuse and exploitation, including victims of trafficking.

IOM also protects migrants’ rights in the return process, in particular for vulnerable and stranded migrants, and provides reintegration measures to enhance the well-being of individual migrants and their communities. We thus collaborate with the civil society and local communities whose involvement is fundamental to provide needs-based sustainable solutions and prevent, alleviate or resolve situations of vulnerability.

IOM’s Migrant Protection and Assistance work comprises:

• Assistance to vulnerable migrants
• Counter trafficking in human beings
• Protection of children in migration, in particular unaccompanied migrant children
• Assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR)