On 17 May 2020, a panel discussion was conducted by Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism [GRFDT] on the topic, “Migration, Gender and COVID-19: Socio-Economic and Policy Perspectives”.
During the webinar series organized by GRFDT, Paddy Siyanga Knudsen, a well-known Development Economist, urged the need to ensure safer migration of women to informal sector. According to her, with all the international borders closed owing to the pandemic, people try to use the informal channels to reach their destinations.
Problems from the Roots
According to Paddy, the African continent is facing many challenges. Some of them that she highlighted was increased debt burden, various growth rates that are high from desirable, poverty, growing inflation, etc. Their increasing investments in social infrastructure had lead to increased spending.
COVID-19 and Africa
Paddy highlighted the current situation of the African countries when exposed to the pandemic. The international trade has been in a halt with all the borders locked. It has caused many regional economies to crumple and has affected the livelihood of many people. The continent as a whole is under the fear of joblessness.
Remittances and Women
With the growing technology and the access to international markets, women are able to use digital money. When it is aligned to the regional markets, the participation of women in the informal sector stands high, but its growth was not high as expected. The women choosing informal paths for migration are further exposed to the chances of getting hit by slavery, human trafficking and other exploitations. Their remittances serve as the lifeblood to many regional economies which in turn funds for education and other essential services.
Social protection
Paddy urged the need for better social protection measures for women. Even after the lockdown and borders opening up, there will be more rampant exploitation. In this context the role of diaspora is coming into prominence, she emphasised. Final word must be given to policies that promote safer migration pathways to women, she concluded.
Unnikrishnan V. is pursuing Masters in Economics. He has a deep-rooted interest in Migration and Development issues.Twitter ID – @unnikrishnan_21