International Migrants Day is a global event observed on 18th December. The day recognises the importance of protecting the rights and dignity of migrants around the world.

Throughout history, humans have migrated from place to place in search of a better life and a promise of the future. The migrants arrive at new places and enrich the existing communities. They become a part of the community and adapt its various traditions and add their own flavour to it, which results in a beautiful diversity.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY 2020: THEME

This year, the theme of the International Organization for Migration is “Reimagining Human Mobility”. The theme assumes special significance owing to the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of migrants around the world.

“During the past months, migrants have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. The United Nations said their work in health, transportation and food services made our lives under lockdown more bearable. 

According to the UN Migration Agency, a migrant is a "person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of the person's legal status; whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary; what the causes for the movement are or what the length of the stay is."

• The number of international migrants or people living in a country other than their country of birth in 2019 had reached 272 million
• Women migrants are 48 per cent of total number
• An estimated 38 million are children among them
• Three out of four international migrants are of working age, that is, between 20 and 64
• Approximately 31 per cent of the international migrants worldwide are in Asia, 30 per cent in Europe, 26 per cent in the Americas, 10 per cent in Africa and three per cent  in Oceania

 (Source: Global Migration Data Portal)