The General Assembly,
Recalling that the Charter of the United Nations reaffirms faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women,
Reaffirming the principles set forth in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979,
Noting the large numbers of women from developing countries who venture forth to more affluent countries in search of a living for themselves and their families, while acknowledging the primary duty of States to work for conditions that provide employment to their citizens,
Recognizing that poverty, unemployment and other socio-economic situations in their home countries lead people, including women, to seek employment in other countries,
Recognizing also that it is the duty of sending countries to protect and promote the interests of their citizens who seek or receive employment in other countries, to provide them with appropriate training/education, and to apprise them of their rights and obligations in the countries of employment,
Aware of the moral obligation of receiving or host countries to ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons within their boundaries, including migrant workers and in particular women migrant workers, who are doubly vulnerable because of their gender and because they are foreigners,
Noting with concern the mounting reports of grave abuses and acts of violence committed against the person of women migrant workers by some of their employers in some host countries,
Stressing that acts of violence directed against women impair or nullify the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Convinced of the need to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and to protect them from gender-based violence,
1. Expresses grave concern over the plight of migrant women workers who become victims of physical, mental and sexual harassment and abuse;
2. Calls upon all countries, particularly the sending and receiving countries, to cooperate with each other in taking appropriate steps to ensure that the rights of women migrant workers are protected;
3. Urges all States to adopt appropriate measures to provide support services to women victims of violence and to provide resources for their physical and psychological rehabilitation;
4. Calls upon relevant bodies and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to inform the Secretary-General of the extent of the problem and to recommend further measures to implement the purposes of the present resolution;
5. Envisages the inclusion of the subject of violence against women migrant workers in the agenda of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held in Beijing in 1995;
6. Requests the Secretary-General, in view of the time constraints and pending the completion of a written report, to make a preliminary oral report, through the Commission on the Status of Women and the Economic and Social Council, to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, on the implementation of the present resolution under the item entitled "Advancement of women".
89th plenary meeting
16 December 1992
