Mexico - A new information campaign for migrants transiting through Mexico aims to reduce risks that migrants face on their trek to the northern border.

IOM, through the UN Joint Program for Vulnerable Migrants in Transit, as well as the Department of Migration Policy of the Mexican Interior Ministry (UPM SEGOB, by its Spanish acronym) and the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED, by its Spanish acronym) launched the national information campaign with the slogan Te Acompañamos(We are there for you) to offer protection and empower migrants in transit through Mexico.

During its initial six-month phase, the campaign will begin in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Tabasco and then continue on to other states along the transit routes used by migrants.

Through printed materials and radio and TV messages, the campaign will inform migrants in transit about services available to them, to help them avoid the risks they face while in transit. 

The campaign products also contain awareness raising information for government officials on the important role they play in guaranteeing the protection of migrants, as well as information aimed at the general public to promote a culture of tolerance and respect toward migrants.

Another campaign message: “Que la desinformación no sea un riesgo más” (“Don’t let misinformation become another risk”), the campaign emphasizes that the lack of information and dissemination of wrong information creates risks for migrants.  Through accurate information and its dissemination, the campaign seeks to let migrants know that they have rights and that there are institutions that offer assistance.

In the last 15 years, the southern states of Mexico have become important transit spots for thousands of irregular migrants, most of them from Central American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.  UPM SEGOB estimates that 150,000 irregular migrants from Central American passed through Mexico in 2012.

“We launch this campaign at a crucial moment of the year, when migration flows start to increase,” said Christopher Gascon, IOM Chief of Mission in Mexico. “This campaign is also crucial now that the traditional migration routes have begun to change, and therefore a reason why the follow-up on behalf of our established partnership is crucial,” added Gascon.

The Head of UPM SEGOB, Omar de la Torre, said: “The Special Program for Migration (PEM, by its Spanish acronym) places the cross-sectional dimension of migration in public policy, with the purpose of guaranteeing migrants’ rights.”  De la Torre also recognized that capacity-building on human rights for officials who work on migration is a priority. 

Daniel Ponce Vázquez, Deputy Director General for Liaison, Educational Programs and Dissemination of CONAPRED, said that even with the existence of a broad legal framework that resulted from a constitutional reform on human rights in 2011, “There is still a challenge for promoting the rights of migrants in transit, which means we have to combat the lack of information and misinformation that translates into discrimination, as well as of impunity of government officials, and other social issues.” 

For further information, please contact: Claudette Walls, IOM Mexico; Tel: +52 55 55 36 39 22, Email:cwalls@iom.int