In West Africa’s migration story, Senegal stands out as a country of origin, transit and destination. It hosts more than 280,000 international migrants, and women make up nearly half of them (47%), according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The same source estimates that more than 740,000 Senegalese nationals live abroad, mainly in Central, North and West Africa, and just over a third of them are women. Economic, social and environmental pressures keep driving female migration upward, and they expose these women to greater risks of gender-based violence along the way. The Mixed Migration Centre estimates that more than 60% of migrant women in West Africa have suffered at least one form of violence, exploitation or abuse on the road. In response, UN Women is rolling out the second phase of its programme ‘Making Migration Safe for Women’ (2026–2029), which works to strengthen gender-sensitive policies, secure access to decent work and defend migrant women’s rights. Arlette Mvondo, UN Women Resident Representative in Senegal, explains what the programme does to protect these women, advance their rights and open the way to decent work.
Senegal is now a country of origin, transit and destination all at once. How would you describe today’s migration patterns, especially for women?
Public debate and statistics often fix on irregular migration, the pirogues, the dangerous crossings. The reality is far more complex. Women now play a growing role in migration. They are no longer just companions; they have become actors in their own right. Their role has changed so much over the years that we now speak of a growing feminisation of migration. According to the IOM, 66% of migrant women travel alone, which marks a major break with the past. We also see more young girls on the routes. This feminisation runs through both regular and irregular migration. Yet because national statistics keep these women invisible, migration policies in their countries of origin, transit and destination overlook their specific needs as economic agents.
What are the main risks and vulnerabilities that migrant women face in the region?
Migrant women meet difficulties at every stage of the journey. On the routes, they are especially exposed to gender-based violence, insecurity and many forms of exploitation. Simply being a woman deepens their vulnerability. In host countries, whether of transit or settlement, most end up in precarious, often informal jobs that trample their rights. Their fragile legal status pushes them to accept brutal working conditions, with excessive hours, sometimes 24 hours at a stretch, in unacceptable settings. Family pressure adds to the strain. Relatives back home expect money, having sometimes helped pay for the journey. That expectation deepens their vulnerability and drives them to accept exploitation. Indeed, IOM analysis shows that this mix of vulnerabilities sharply raises the risk of trafficking and of economic and sexual exploitation.
What is the vision behind the ‘Making Migration Safe for Women’ programme?
The programme sets out to help the government of Senegal design and deliver gender-sensitive migration policies, laws and services, grounded in solid evidence. That means strengthening the country’s production of gender data on migration, improving the legal framework and guaranteeing services that protect migrant women’s rights. Above all, these are human beings whose rights must be respected, whatever their status. The second strand works directly with migrant women, especially on access to decent work. Their vulnerability often pushes them into jobs that others refuse, so we must guarantee their rights in those settings. The third strand promotes and protects their rights by strengthening regional and international standards. In this way, the programme fits squarely within the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, of which Senegal is a recognised champion, and it promotes a migration built on human rights and gender equality.
How does this second phase mark a change of approach?
Globally, the programme is indeed on its second phase. The first ran in East Africa, notably in Ethiopia and South Africa. The legal and socio-economic results were strong enough to bring the programme to Senegal. This country has a particular profile, as a place of origin, transit and destination at once. The routes, often dangerous, expose women and girls to gender-based violence, kidnapping, forced labour, exploitation and, in some cases, death. Here, UN Women reinforces what the State, technical and financial partners and civil society have already begun, with a focus on writing gender into migration policy. What truly marks this second phase in Senegal is the move from protection alone to a broader approach that empowers migrant women. We now treat them as economic agents in their own right, and we strengthen their access to opportunities, information and real protection.
How do you work with the Senegalese authorities to improve the legal and institutional framework?
Migration is complex, so it calls for a response that is multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder. Senegal has put in place a national strategy built around several strands: security, protection and the legal framework. They complement one another. UN Women joins this effort mainly by producing data. Through studies, we seek to understand the feminisation of migration, to profile migrant women and to pin down their specific problems. That evidence will let us design tailored responses, based on consultations with migrant women themselves and with the various actors involved. Data are essential to good policy. They let us measure the scale of the phenomenon and guide decisions. Without them, we could neither understand the feminisation of migration nor respond to it well. We do not aim to reinvent what already exists, but to strengthen it by weaving in rights, equality and women’s empowerment.
Access to decent work is a pillar of the programme. What are the main obstacles today?
Economic empowerment sits at the heart of migration. According to the Mixed Migration Centre, the search for a job and a better life is the main reason for leaving among nearly seven in ten migrant women in West Africa. Our work reaches every level. Upstream, we try to prevent forced departures; downstream, we improve conditions for migrant women. That runs through vocational training, support for women’s entrepreneurship and the growth of business-support services. We pay particular attention to domestic work, which is often informal and poorly protected in law.
Migration often exposes women to violence, including gender-based violence. How does the programme respond?
Our work rests on three strands: prevention, protection and advocacy. Prevention includes awareness and community mobilisation. When a woman is harmed, we put full support in place: medical, psychosocial, legal and socio-economic. UN Women also works with civil-society organisations to strengthen the legal framework and make sure it is applied. Migrant women’s own testimonies are among the most effective tools we have. Their experience reaches others who are weighing up migration. The media also matter, because they can shine a light on both the successes and the tragedies. Civil-society organisations, close to the communities, do a great deal to spread information and protect rights.
How important is regional cooperation in West Africa for safe migration?
Migration moves people across several countries, so no single State can manage it alone. Regional cooperation is essential for coordinated, effective responses that harmonise legal frameworks, improve data-sharing and better protect migrant women along the routes. In West Africa this matters all the more, because most migration is intra-regional. The goal is clear: to guarantee migrant women’s rights everywhere and in all circumstances.
What strikes you most in the journeys of migrant women?
Their fighting spirit and their resilience. Despite the hardships, they all pursue the same goal, to improve their families’ lives. Migrant women are not only victims. They are also agents of development. They contribute to the economies of both host and origin countries, and they take an active part in social and economic life. Migrant women have rights, and those rights must be respected. Whatever their journey, they remain human beings whose dignity we must guarantee.
