The COVID-19 has brought into our focus a range of cases to which we had not given enough thought earlier. Global migration and the cases related to it are an important part of our current reality and with the origin of the pandemic, there is an accumulating consensus on the need to look and reflect upon the prevailing systems to deal with the lives of the migrants and refugees.
There has been a host of a frameworks to deal with migration at the global level. But what is also noteworthy under present circumstances is to ponder upon the odds of creating similar governance structures at the regional level by bringing the government, NGOs and other stakeholders together on the same table.
With this intention in mind, a panel forum on ‘Global and Regional Migration Governance During COVID-19 Pandemic’ was concurrently organized by the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT) on July 21, 2020. Which included eminent scholars, policymakers, government officials and experts in the region.
Miss Roula Hamatiis the coordinator for the Cross-Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants (CCRM), in Lebanon.
The biggest issue that migrants face
The talk was about how the migrants face certain issues during this pandemic and the nature of transition justice system that the migrants deal with in day today life. Miss. Hamati began by saying that the migrants mostly complained about evasion of wages and benefits that they are yet to receive.
This is something that does not depend on a single sector alone and the saddest part is that this has become normalized not just by the migrants but by the people who work with migrants too. Lots of migrant workers put up with the low wages as they don’t have an idea about filing a complaint.
“This kind of giving up has become the new normal saying that it’s okay but in reality, its unacceptable” said Ms. Hamati.
Very few migrant workers fight for their justice and file a case and get back their wages and benefits. Justice is hardly accessible to them.
Justice system dysfunctional for migrants
Migrants have the fear of being lost in the unknown land where merely existing becomes difficult. The theft of not paying their wages, not paying their benefits, not been hired has increased at full tilt during this pandemic when the migrants were forced to return to their homeland.
Migrants don’t really have much opportunities in the foreign land. According to Ms. Hamati, they are fired, forced to return back, bullied all the way by not giving the benefits, wages and assurance. The justice system has badly failed in its duty to migrant people.
“We must come together to prove that there must be justice for wage theft”, said Miss. Hamati.
There is a need for urgency to implement reforms in the justice system. A clear vision is required to make justice for violation available to the migrants. The lack of justice is no longer causing improvement for migrant people in the society.
Many business and corporations act on policies for the employers but when it comes to migrant workers, they are found lacking the urge to do the same. There must be standards and procedures that ensures the rights of the migrants as well.
Miss. Hamati concluded by suggesting that there must be some kind of improvement in governance and justice for migrant workers. The pandemic has made matters worse and the conditions are unacceptable. There has to be a system that has to be responsible for the whole issue of wage stuffs.
“We needed an international system that facilitates expedited access to justice”, she concluded.
Report by Angel Valancia, she is a B.A. student and is currently pursuing PGDM in LIBA Chennai. She adores new technologies and techniques and is fond of playing shuttle.