An international webinar on the topic, ‘Migrants and Displaced People Amid COVID-19: Issues, Challenges and Policy Options’, was jointly organized by Centre for Indian Diaspora Studies [CIDS], School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, in collaboration with Department of Social Sciences, FLAME University, Pune, Maharashtra and Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT), New Delhi, from 15 to 17 October, 2020.
Session 4 took place on 16th October and centered around the broad theme of international migration. The session was chaired by Dr. Mathew Varghese, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, who began by congratulating the organizers for taking up the pertinent task of juxtaposing migration with pandemic.
Varied Impacts of COVID-19
The first speaker, Mr. Muhammad fatton Dohae, Research Scholar, Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, spoke on the topic,‘ Thailand Deep South migrant workers in Malaysia amid COVID- 19: Problems and challenges.’ Mr. Dohae began his address by pointing out the cultural similarities shared by migrant workers with natives in Malaysia. In the wake of the pandemic, border closures were imposed which made transit difficult for the migrant workers, who lost their jobs due to economic downturn and lockdown measures. Around 4000 migrant workers returned to a wrecked job market, with most of them being low skilled laborers.
Mr. Dohae concluded his address by stating that combined effects of closure of borders in Malaysia and state emergency declared in Thailand, has rendered migrant workers more vulnerable than ever.
On a different perspective, impact of the pandemic on the foreign nationals and internal migrants in India was highlighted by Ms. Umubyeyi Joyeuse Auguste & Mr. Muzaffar Assadi, Research Scholar and PhD Supervisor, respectively, at University of Mysore, Karnataka. Ms. Joyeuse stated that since the nationwide lockdown was announced in India, around 50,000-60,000 migrants have moved from urban centres to rural areas of origin in the span of few days, as reported by the World Bank. Job losses, limited access to social protection services and chaotic and painful process of mass return to homes have blatantly exposed these migrants to COVID-19. Inclusion in policy responses and smart economics were suggested as essential measures that must be adopted to protect these migrant workers.
Foreign nationalists in India were also negatively affected as the pandemic unfolded. Many were ostracized by the locals under fear and suspicion of carrying the virus. The tourists found it extremely difficult to get access to accommodation facilities and were left with no exit options as border closure measures were adopted. While the government took various measures to ensure that the guests of our country are treated well, Ms. Joyeuse added that this has not been translated to practice in many instances at ground level.
Challenging Times for Diaspora
Ms. Parvathi Poornima, Assistant Professor, Political Science, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bangalore, spoke at length on the topic, ‘COVID-19, repatriation and gender concerns: The case of Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom’. 2011 Census data revealed that Indian ethnic group in UK constitute 2.5 percent of the total population. They have emerged as the ethnic group worst affected by the pandemic, due to multifaceted reasons ranging from lack of social distancing due to multi-generational families, high rates of poverty, and employment in perilous professions in the health sector, to being discriminated against in accessing health care owing to their racial identity. Ms. Poornima also shed light on the gendered impact of COVID-19, as Indian women face the double disadvantage of gender and ethnic identity.
Invisibility of victims of honor-based abuse, expected surge in cases of forced marriage, long term physical and mental health problems related to domestic violence and surge in women under NRPF(No Recourse to Public Funds), were highlighted by Ms. Poornima as the potential gendered impacts of COVID-19.
Concluding her address, Ms. Poornima emphasized on the need of gender disaggregated report and gender specific approach to COVID-19, along with increased public funding, bridging accessibility barriers, and support services to stranded women.
COVID-19 was described as a ‘A double whammy for Indian diaspora and migrant communities’ by Mr. Raja Pandey, Research Scholar at Jiwaji University Gwalior, M. P, who elaborated on the psychological and economic impact of the pandemic. While the economic impact on diaspora include job loss and cut down in wages, which has in turn incapacitated transfer of remittances, the psychological impact includes stress and mental fatigue emanating from decline in income and reminiscence about homeland and relatives, which is aggravated by the confinements imposed as a response to the pandemic.
Mr. Pandey called for establishment of financial relief centers, business facilitation centers and organizations like Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA) along with skill mapping, financial aid and counselling panels, to ensure economic security of the Indian diaspora. Their mental wellbeing can be ensured by providing psychological services and improving connectivity by bringing them together in common virtual platform.
IOM Responses to COVID-19
Ms. Irene Bijo Abraham, Postgraduate student at St. Berchmans College, Kerala, explored the strategies adopted by International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the context of COVID-19. Ms. Abraham began her address by reminding that COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis.
“The threat remains the virus: Not people; not migrants, stranded or displaced persons. The pandemic is borderless; people are affected regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or status”: Ms. Irene Bijo Abraham
While the pandemic clamped on mobility and wreaked havoc across countries, migrants emerged as the most vulnerable group. IOM employed its recognized expertise in addressing complex immigration and border management challenges in dealing with the current global health challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its spillover effects. IOM monitored mobility restrictions imposed by the countries, analyzed its impact on migrants, developed apps like Migration Translation App (MiTA) and Support to Migrants App to aid migrants and formulated several grass root responses at country specific level to protect the interests of the migrant community. Thus, IOM reasserted the importance of non-state actors through the effective responses adopted to aid the migrants during this pandemic.
Women Migrant Workers Bearing the Brunt
Multiple precarities faced by women migrant workers and various methods to address them were highlighted by Ms. Jenna L Hennebry and Mr. Hari K C, Associate Professor and Research Scholar respectively at International Policy & Governance, Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada, whose topic for discussion was, ‘Women migrant workers bearing the brunt of COVID-19: Breaking the precarity chain through reimagining labour migration governance.’ Mr. Hari shed light on the multifaceted challenges faced by women migrant workers. More than 70% of them are employed in informal sector and care industry, which, in addition to being unpredictable, have also become highly perilous following the pandemic. They lack access to social protection and the tremendous pressure on women is further enhanced by added pressure of working at home.
Women migrant workers are trapped in vicious cycle of precarities and it is an unfortunate irony that it is often women employed in essential work that is deprived of essential services, Mr. Hari pointed out.
Concluding his address, Mr. Hari remarked that though the way forward looked bleak, the chain of precarities can be broken through gender responsive programs and policies.
The discussion was taken forward by Ms. Swasti Sharma from Satyawati College, University of Delhi, who spoke on the topic, ‘Invisible Women: Discerning the Plight of Migrant Women during COVID-19.’ Migrant women face several impediments due to their social economic status, cultural linguistic barriers in addition to gender biases.
“Migrant women must be given special attention since they are doubly disadvantaged by gender and class”: Ms. Swasti Sharma
Women migrants are channeled to limited job options, mostly in informal sector. They face gender wage gap, are more likely to experience violence in workplace and have less protection from job losses. Even more worse off are the subaltern subset; the differently abled and elderly women; who are further disadvantaged. Citing the rise in suicides among female migrant workers, Ms. Sharma pointed out the urgency of addressing gender gap and called for protection of rights of women migrant workers.
The webinar concluded with the panelists calling for reappraisal of existing policies and formulation of new strategies to aid the migrant workers who are pushed to the edges of precarity by the pandemic.
Manjima, the writer, a human rights enthusiast, is an undergraduate Political Science Hons. student at Miranda House, Delhi University. She can be reached on twitter @manjima_a