E/CN.4/2003/85/Add.2 page 16 47. Another source of dismay for the Special Rapporteur was the information she received concerning the lack of public policies for the prevention of AIDS among the migrant population and the information about the situation of migrants suffering from AIDS in Mexico. The precarious working conditions of migrant women sex workers (who are often forced to have unprotected sexual relations) and their ignorance increase their vulnerability, but AIDS also affects the rest of the migrant population. It is necessary to combat the stigmatization of the illness and the lack of confidentiality concerning individual cases, which often lead to the unwarranted dismissal of migrants. VII. PLACES OF ORIGIN OF MIGRANTS 48. In Mexico, the Special Rapporteur also visited various places of origin of Mexican emigrants. Her interviews with relatives of Mexican emigrants now in the United States and her visit to a community of origin of Mexican emigrants confirmed the vulnerability of children, who are left without their parents in the place of origin, and the effects of migration in terms of family break-up. In addition, the Special Rapporteur noted that there has been a change in trends in Mexican migration since the tightening of controls along the United States-Mexico border. According to information provided, Mexican migration used to be cyclical; in other words, a high proportion of Mexicans would emigrate for short periods and return to Mexico when work ended in a particular sector. Since the tightening of frontier controls in the early 1990s (see E/CN.4/2003/85/Add.3) and the consequent increase in the financial cost of unlawful crossings and the risks which this entails, Mexican emigrants have tended to settle permanently in the United States. This has affected the communities of origin in that migration is tending to become final and to involve whole families, thereby placing the children at risk; they are also obliged to emigrate, to a large extent illegally, in order to join their parents, which creates a permanent break with the community of origin. 49. Most of the people interviewed by the Special Rapporteur stated that the reasons for emigrating to the United States are mainly unemployment and the lack of well-paid jobs. The Special Rapporteur took note of a number of initial efforts by the Mexican Government to establish assistance programmes for communities of origin. She nevertheless considers that, in view of the extent of the phenomenon which affects all parts of Mexico, priority must be given to a coordinated programme at the federal, state and municipal levels for the promotion of local development as a means of preventing migration. VIII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 50. The Special Rapporteur noted that Mexico has made substantial efforts to identify in a serious and self-critical manner the problems faced by migrants. She considers that it is now crucial to proceed from this diagnostic phase to the implementation of a national policy of assistance and protection for migrants. This policy must be put into effect from the human rights standpoint and jointly with civil society, and must be reflected in concrete programmes. Consequently, it is also of the highest importance to incorporate the protection of the human rights of migrants in the formulation of the national human rights plan and to strengthen action to