Managing irregular migration as a negative factor in the development of Eastern Asia

Irregular migration is one of the very few policy areas in the field of migration where consensus can generally be achieved: virtually all countries seek to decrease or eliminate it. Only human trafficking, with which irregular migration is so often associated, is generally considered to be even less desirable and is the topic in migration where a virtual universal condemnation by states can be achieved. However, the association between irregular migration and trafficking is not exact, as not all migrants in an irregular situation have been trafficked. Also, irregular migration is likely to be a greater concern to destination states than to countries of origin, even if the latter may wish to see the rights of their migrants protected at destinations. The various arms of civil society, too, are generally in agreement with states of origin and states of destination in working to reduce the number of migrants in an irregular situation.