E/CN.4/2006/73 page 14 detention with a view to expulsion or within the criminal justice system; the implementation of expulsion proceedings and measures; policies regarding the issuance and cancellation of visas and work permits; and guaranteeing either access to or a measure of protection through consular services. 65. The State is also responsible for guaranteeing the right to freedom of association, the right to join freely and participate in any trade union or association, primary health care, and basic access to education for children. 66. It is also important to consider the underlying factors leading to migration and to human rights violations suffered by migrants. Discrimination is a key factor in many human rights violations affecting migrants. It has thus been, from the start, at the core of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. 67. Migrants, women and men, experience discrimination in many spheres of their lives. Discrimination affects and curtails the possibilities of migrants to enjoy all sets of human rights. The multiple dimensions of discrimination and the interplay of the different grounds of discrimination, such as gender, race and religion, impact on the intensity and severity of discriminatory practices suffered by migrants. For example, the disadvantages or deprivations that migrant women experience because of gender cannot be separated from the disadvantages stemming from other personal attributes and identities related to their religion, race or national extraction. The interplay of different grounds of discrimination suffered by migrants results in experiences and patterns of exclusion, disadvantage and abuse that tend to accumulate and intensify and that cut across all spheres: the workplace; access to social services, justice, education, housing and health care; and participation in public life and decision-making bodies. 68. The media are another factor that can contribute to exacerbating discriminatory practices against migrants. Media representation of migrants tends all too often to be stereotypical. Language and labelling can be subtle channels to convey subliminal discriminatory messages, which impact on collective imagery. Once a negative discourse misrepresenting migrants is established, it tends to prevail. These negative representations are not adequately compensated for by positive images, such as the cultural contribution of migrants. Conversely, episodes of racism and anti-racism are rarely covered. Little attention is given to more generalized practices of discrimination and xenophobia, and how to overcome them. 69. Given the multidimensional nature of discriminatory practices affecting migrants, both in terms of the interplay of grounds of discrimination and sets of rights affected, the Special Rapporteur intends to continue examining patterns of discrimination suffered by migrants and to give priority to the analysis of the gender dimension of migration. 70. A number of economic, social and developmental issues are at the core of the migration phenomenon. Since its establishment in 1999, the mandate has taken account of developmental, economic and social factors relating to the mandate, both in general reports5 and in reports on on-site visits.6 Issues addressed have included: economic and social factors as one of the root causes of migration; economic and social issues leading to the vulnerability of migrants in general or of certain specific groups such as women and children; the effects, both positive and negative, of migration on countries of origin, in particular in regard to remittances, and to the