The Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l'Homme en Tunisie (Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia) would like to draw the public's attention, on this International Migrants Day, to current migration policies in Europe and Tunisia, and their devastating impact on the fundamental rights of individuals.

We firmly denounce the memorandum signed between Tunisia and Italy, which is based on a repressive, security-based approach to migration that runs counter to humanitarian principles and international law.

We also express our deep concern at the rise in anti-black racism and the policy of hunting down sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia. These criminal, discriminatory and xenophobic practices are contrary to the universal values of human rights, dignity and equality.

We call on the Tunisian and European governments to reconsider their migration policies from a perspective that respects human beings and their rights, without distinction of any kind. The fundamental right to freedom of movement and settlement must be at the heart of migration policies.

We also invite civil society, international organizations and all stakeholders :

mobilize to promote constructive dialogue and sustainable solutions that respect the dignity and rights of all migrants;

to propose an alternative narrative to counter the hateful rhetoric of the extreme right, and the murderous and ruthless migration policies of the European Union and other world powers.

Together, let's work for a world where migration is a choice, not a necessity, and where the dignity and rights of every individual are respected and protected.