“Senegal occupies a central place in regional migration dynamics, as a country of origin, transit, and destination. The country hosts more than 280,000 international migrants, nearly half of whom are women. At the same time, more than 740,000 Senegalese live abroad, more than a third of whom are women,” UN Women stated at the outset of the launch in Dakar on Thursday of Phase II of the “Making Migration Safe for Women” program. They added that “while migration can represent an economic opportunity, migrant women remain particularly vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and trafficking, especially when they work in the informal economy.”

The program will be implemented from January 2026 to July 2029. Its objective is to strengthen gender-sensitive migration policies, laws, and services; improve access to decent work for migrant women; and promote and protect the rights of migrant women at the regional and international levels. Specifically, it includes integrating gender equality into migration policies, producing sex-disaggregated migration data, building the capacity of women's organizations, and raising awareness among migrant women about their rights.

UN Women Representative in Senegal, Ariette Mvondo, explained: “We are aware that governance already exists and we will align ourselves with the action plan of this mechanism. We are also aware that there are already initiatives underway, and ours contributes to the efforts being made by national partners, as well as civil society organizations.” She continued: “Phase I began in Southern Africa, particularly in Australia and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and given the results and success achieved, it was decided that the second phase would take place in West Africa. Therefore, we will provide concrete solutions with the support of our partners. We will also work on public policy issues and how to ensure gender mainstreaming; we are thinking about issues of equality and empowerment.”

“(...) they are exposed to discrimination, abuse, exploitation, without contracts, low wages, without access to the means to defend their rights”

Swiss Ambassador to Senegal, Tamara Mona, is convinced that "orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration can be a powerful lever for both societies of origin and host countries." She explains, "Many Senegalese women choose to migrate within the sub-region in search of economic opportunities. Through the remittances they send to their families, they contribute to the sustainable development of their communities of origin. Their role is sometimes discreet, but it is crucial. This contrasts sharply with the realities they face. Many migrant women struggle to access basic social services; they are exposed to discrimination, abuse, and exploitation, often without contracts, low wages, or access to the means to defend their rights."

Tamara Mona states that it is essential to support the living and working conditions of women, because they are invaluable driving forces for the development of nations.

In turn, the Director of Legal and Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Senegal, Dieynaba Bathily, suggested that the challenges related to the protection of migrant women require multi-sectoral actions including strengthening the international legal framework for protection, setting up medical care structures for women, raising awareness to broaden access to information and supporting the entrepreneurship of these women.