E/CN.4/2002/94/Add.1 page 3 Executive summary This report is submitted in accordance with resolution 2001/52 of the Commission of Human Rights and concerns the official visit paid by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to Ecuador between 5 and 16 November 2001. The Special Rapporteur takes this opportunity to thank the Government of Ecuador for inviting her to visit the country and for the valuable assistance and cooperation afforded to her during her mission. In the course of her visit, the Special Rapporteur noted that civil society in Ecuador is highly organized to address the phenomenon of migration, including associations of migrants and their families, which have considerable skills in making proposals and possess detailed knowledge of the situation regarding migration in the country and its effects. This is due in particular to the vital work of monitoring and assistance to migrants and their families accomplished by various organizations in the country. The authorities in Ecuador and civil society organizations have found avenues of dialogue and concerted action to help in seeking joint solutions to the problems facing the country where migration is concerned. The Special Rapporteur noted that steps taken by indigenous, social and peasant organizations in their negotiations with the authorities have led to important commitments on the part of the Government, in the context of the dialogue on migration between the Government and indigenous, peasant and social organizations. The Special Rapporteur highly values the process of cooperation between the authorities and civil society in formulating an operational plan relating to the human rights of migrants, foreigners and refugees, which has yet to be put into effect. The two initiatives mentioned, together with the National Plan for Ecuadorians Abroad, which is being drawn up by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, constitute important tools for the formulation and coordination of national migration policy. These proposals have been accompanied by significant measures for the protection of migrants abroad, including in particular the signing of a bilateral agreement with Spain and approval by the Congress of Ecuador of the ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. In this report, the Special Rapporteur highlights the situation of members of the families of migrants who remain in the places of origin, weighed down by debt and exploited by moneylenders who impose usurious rates of interest. The families of migrants in this situation live under the threat of being stripped of their property, and are dependent on remittances - for the most part obtained illegally - to pay what they owe. The Special Rapporteur also wishes to express her deep concern at the psychosocial effects of migration in the places of origin, particularly family break-ups and the abandonment of children and young people. She observed during her visit that many State institutions and provincial authorities have still not become fully aware of the problems experienced by this segment of the population, and considers that action by the authorities in this area should be strengthened. Concerning the causes of emigration and the circumstances in which it takes place, the Special Rapporteur noted that the lack of opportunities for a large proportion of the population to lead and provide their families with a decent life as the result of their labours generates a