Promoting Rights and Inclusion While Recognizing Migrants as Drivers of Innovation and Growth

#IWD2026 | #GiveToGain | #InternationalWomensDay | #GirlPowerEffect

During International Women's Month, we recognize the resilience, leadership, and courage of migrant women and girls worldwide.

Migration is more than movement; it’s a story of hope, creativity, and community building. Yet for many, these journeys remain dangerous, discriminatory, and filled with hardship. The challenges they face don’t end with a calendar day, they persist in daily life. Protecting the rights and dignity of migrant women and girls isn’t just a one-time action; it’s essential to fostering thriving communities for everyone.

Let’s continue to honour their voices and contributions, and commit to a world where all can move, belong, and flourish safely.

Read the full UN Women statement here.

Written by Toni Fulkerson

Indigenous Social Work Student, Laurentian University

---

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY SPOTLIGHT

“When women lead in their communities, they connect people,” she says. “They help others feel seen and heard”

At Thailand’s Border, Women Leaders Bridge Gaps for Migrant Communities

Read 49-year-old Lin's heartwarming story as written by Anushma Shrestha, Media and Communications Officer/IOM Thailand.

A lifelong resident of Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province, one of the busiest crossing points between Thailand and Myanmar, Lin has spent the past 15 years volunteering to support newly arrived migrants. By day, she runs a small jewelry stall to support herself. In the evenings and on weekends, she leads a grassroots self-help group that assists vulnerable migrants, many of whom are fleeing conflict, economic instability, or insecurity back home.

Read the full story here.

Photo credit: IOM 2026/Ratchanon Kruenchit