Geneva – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today (24/05) completes a four-day course on International Migration Law held for a delegation of federal judges from the Brazilian judiciary. 

This is the result of active collaboration between IOM Brazil and the International Migration Law (IML) Unit in Geneva.   

The aim of this and similar IOM tutorials are to increase judges’ technical capacity in applying relevant migration legal standards, thereby enhancing migrants’ access to rights. Special attention is paid to women and vulnerable migrants in Brazil.  

IOM courses are organized annually to bring diplomats and practitioners together to discuss legal aspects of migration and governance and the latest trends in migration law. International legal experts present on human rights law, refugee law, labour law, transnational criminal law and the crimes of smuggling and trafficking. Legal issues related to migration detention, internal displacement and environmental migration, also are covered. 

IOM Brazil enjoys a partnership with Association of Federal Judges of Brazil (AJUFE), which represents more than 2,000 federal judges, federal appeal courts judges, and representatives of the High Court of Justice and the Supreme Court.  

The judicial branch is a fundamental player in the protection of individual and collective rights of migrants, explained Stéphane Rostiaux, IOM Brazil Chief of Mission. “The partnership with AJUFE is crucial and it allows us to move towards IOM’s goal of making migration dignified, safe and orderly for the benefit of migrants and society,” he said.   

Since the signing of the Cooperation Agreement in August 2018, several activities strengthening capacities of the Brazilian judiciary have been implemented by IOM Brazil, including an online course taken by 20 federal judges, in addition to a comprehensive training – Migration Law: Enhancing Response Capacities of the Federal Justice in the Context of the Flow of Venezuelans – prepared for 30 judges of the Federal Justice Council. 

“This partnership is fundamental to work on issues related to migrant’s access to justice, particularly when they are vulnerable,” said Fernando Mendes, AJUFE’s president.   

According to Mendes, the partnership with IOM gives tools to train more federal judges so they can understand the issue in detail and improve jurisdictional performance. Improving access to justice for migrants is crucial to secure their rights, and such initiative of IOM certainly contributes to this goal.    

For more information, please contact Anne Althaus at IOM Geneva, E-mail: aalthaus@iom.int or Vitória Souza at IOM Brazil, E-mail: vsouza@iom.int