E/CN.4/2004/76/Add.3 page 4 Introduction 1. At the invitation of the Moroccan Government, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants undertook an official mission to that country from 19 to 31 October 2003. During her stay, she visited Rabat, Casablanca, Khouribga, Tangier, Tetouan, Oujda and then Nador. 2. In Rabat, the Special Rapporteur met with the Minister of Human Rights, the Minister of Justice, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation with responsibility for Moroccan expatriates, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Director of Consular and Social Affairs, the President of the Supreme Court, the President of the Advisory Council on Human Rights, the Vice-President of the Hassan II Foundation for Moroccan Expatriates and several central government officials. She also had a number of meetings with representatives of international non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. At other times during her visit the Special Rapporteur met walis (prefects), local authority representatives and representatives of the police and the security forces and she spoke to migrant groups. 3. The Special Rapporteur wishes to thank the Moroccan Government for its invitation and for its help and assistance before and during her visit to the country. She would like to thank the international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and migrants that she met during her mission. In this report she examines the context of Moroccan migration from the legislative, institutional/political and operational points of view. This report describes the facts observed and the information received by the Special Rapporteur during her visit. I. GENERAL CONTEXT OF MIGRATION IN MOROCCO 4. Morocco is a traditional country of emigration towards the countries of the European Union, other Middle Eastern countries and North America. Today, there are more than 2.5 million Moroccans living abroad, almost 82 per cent of them in the European Union. This migration flow is the result of a twofold process that has developed over several phases: the boom in regular migration of the 1960s and 1970s resulting from the demand for labour; a period of increased migration with family reunification or the forming of new families; and a phase of demand for labour from traditional emigrant countries, such as Italy or Spain. This kind of migration is characterized by the maintenance of close ties with the country of origin. 5. The other feature of this process is irregular migration by Moroccan nationals; this has reached its highest level in the last few years as European States have tightened up their national immigration laws. There are an estimated one million Moroccans illegally living abroad and who are often exploited by unscrupulous employers. 6. In recent years Morocco has also become a country of transit for a significant migration flow originating in sub-Saharan Africa and passing through the Maghreb and Morocco on the way to Europe. Since 1997-1998, the presence of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa has increased sharply, following the events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region. Other flows have been seen from Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, owing to the situations in those countries. Today, the main countries