IN AFRICA MIGRATION FOR DEVELOPMENT II. The strategic framework for managing migration IN AFRICA Recommended strategies i. Establish/strengthen national/regional/continental arrangements/capacities for migration research, data collection, analysis and sharing, as well as the exchange of best practices in these areas. ii. Develop migration profiles to inform migration policy development. iii. Conduct robust gender-responsive research and enhance data collection, acquisition, analysis and accountability measures at all stages of migration, including at borders and upon return, in order to highlight the contributions made by women in migration, the gendered drivers of migration, and the situation and realities of migrant women in every phase of the migration process, including violations of migrant women’s rights, exploitation and trafficking. Data must be disaggregated by sex, age, and migration status (and intersection factors including race, ethnicity, and nationality where possible) in order to enhance gender-responsive and evidence based policies, inform advocacy, challenge negative perceptions and prevent abuses and exploitation. iv. Engender coordination and collaboration between national/regional ministries/agencies responsible for migration and research institutions gathering migration data, including the establishment/strengthening of national/regional migration statistics units in charge of coordinating the gathering of migration statistics. v. Harmonise the collection of migration data, including definitions of migration variables (such as those in the UN Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration), data collection tools, methods, intervals, etc.) at continental and regional levels so that data are comparable across countries and regions. vi. Support the implementation of the NEPAD Initiative, especially its work on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to facilitate the collection and exchange of data. 9.3 Human rights of migrants Ensuring the effective protection of the human rights of migrants is a fundamental component of comprehensive and balanced migration management systems. Historically, migrants have often been deprived of their rights and subjected to discriminatory and racist actions and policies including xenophobia, exploitation, mass expulsion, persecution and other abuses. Safeguarding the human rights of migrants implies the effective application of norms enshrined in human rights instruments of general applicability, as well as the ratification and enforcement of instruments specifically relevant to the treatment of migrants. 71