Ms. Myrtle Witbooiis a South African labour activist who is currently working as the General secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU). She also plays the role of the first president of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), a global organization involving household and domestic workers. She was one of the key panellists during the virtual panel discussion held on GCM (Global Compact For Migration ) Objective 6: “Facilitate fair and ethical recruitment and safeguard conditions that ensure decent work”. This event was hosted by Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism [GRFDT], Migrant Forum in Asia, Cross-Regional Centre for Refugees and Migrants and Civil Society Action Committee on 6th October 2020. She emphasized on how the voice and experiences of the migrant workers are the most authentic sources of information that should be considered by the Governments of both country of origin and destination, when the migration data is formulated or reviewed.
The Prevailing Issue
The rising question on the causes leading to migration has received many perspectives. However, the current need is to think from the view of those who are most vulnerable in terms of the impact of migration such as the women, children, old-aged people and the disabled populations.
In the discourse of migration, the rising question constantly remains the same i.e. “why do we really migrate?” asked Ms. Witbooi. The response to this question would differ according to different situations. For example, the global pandemic has created new causes for the migrant workers to move back to the country of origin from the country of destination, which reflects the reality of the world crisis in the current time. To study the various changes in the migration processes, there is an immediate requirement for researchers who specifically focus on the recent patterns of migration instead of only focusing on the convention 189 and convention 190 of the ILO (International Labour Organization). The latter only discusses the conventional patterns of migration and side-lines the new forms of migration and its changing trends.
Looking Beyond Consequences of Migration
The solutions to the problems of global migration can only come into place, once it translates from policies to reality. It is important that the migration policies start impacting the real time migration of individuals not only from Global South to the North, but also within the Global South itself. It also becomes important to pay attention to the different patterns of migration that are generating on everyday basis.
Migration has created slavery, social and political limitations for the migrants in the country of destination. However, if solutions have to be thought of in regard to how the consequences of the global pandemic can be dealt with, it is important to raise a question on “How are we going to go forward out of all of this situation?” asked Ms. Witbooi. The first step would be to transform the research conducted in the domain of migration into reality. In reality, it means that research should cater to the demands of the migrant workers, to record their authentic experiences and then convert those subjectivities into migration data. This also leads to questioning the role of the government in the country of origin and to what extent they are able to track the pattern of migration for their overseas citizens as migrant workers. An example of this can be the migrant workers in Lebanon who are usually found outside their embassy seeking for their rights which they are unable to attain. These scenarios reflect that the voices of the migrant workers need to be heard for developing better data on migration because those voices reflect the true suffering.
The Rising Question and a Potential Solution
The phenomena of migration not only have an economic dimension to it, it does have a sociocultural aspect to itself. Therefore, it becomes important to pay attention to the lived experiences of the people in the country of destination and going beyond the conventional data on migration by exploring the everyday problems that the migrants face.
The rising and significant questions raised by Ms. Witbooi are: “How can we convert the real- life experiences of migrant workers into migration data? If we can convert these experiences into data then what is the manner in which it can be made possible?”:Ms. Witbooi. The lived experiences of the migrant workers can be transformed into data by first providing them with knowledge on migration, its benefits and side-effects both in their country of origin and destination. Agencies should hold better control over the education process of the migrant workers in terms of making their rights familiar to them. The solutions proposed by Ms. Witbooi can only come into reality when the researchers and literature are more focused on these aspects of migration which are becoming an everyday phenomenon and impacting hundreds of migrant workers across the globe, especially during and in post COVID-19 scenarios.
Pooja Priyais a postgraduate in sociology from Delhi school of economics, University of Delhi. She holds research interests in: migration within the global south, marginalization for ethnically minority groups, racialization in India. Twitter id : poojapr92856063.