A panel discussion on the Objective 7 of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) was jointly organized by Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT), Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Cross-Regional Centre for Refugees and Migrations (CCRM) and Civil Society Action Committee (CSAC), on 13th October 2020, on the topic “Address and Reduce Vulnerabilities In Migration”, by bringing together various experts working on the issues related to migration at the levels of the world organizations.
Rising Questions on Migrants’ Vulnerability
The moderator, Mr. William Gois, is an educator, sociologist and human rights advocate, who chairs the Migrants Rights International (MRI), an international non-governmental organization with consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Mr. Gois initiated the conversation by asking the first speaker, Dr. Patrick Duigan, the Regional Migration Health Advisor working with the International Organization For Migration (IOM), a few preliminary questions on the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerabilities of the migrant groups. Mr. Gois enquired information on how has the global pandemic increased the vulnerabilities of the migrant groups and what are the different types of vulnerabilities that the migrant groups are facing during this period. Dr. Duigan rightly pointed out the urgency to discuss the vulnerabilities of the migrant groups, that have increased in the current times, which otherwise received a comparatively less focus in the migration literature. An important area where the vulnerabilities are reflected is definitely the health sector, wherein due to the lack of sanitation facilities, the migrants had to live under poor living conditions during the pandemic. The access of migrant workers to health services is also compromised. There are also reflections of vulnerability in terms of low rate of remittances being sent back to the country of origin by the migrant workers due to the rising unemployment in the countries of destination. The paucity in the flow of income has badly affected households and communities back home and the travel restrictions has further exacerbated these vulnerabilities.
“A lot more needs to be done by all stakeholders- by governments, civil society and society at large- to really look at meaningful migrant inclusion because reality is if migrants are not being included in COVID response and if these vulnerabilities are not being addressed, then no one is safe until everyone is safe”: Dr. Patrick Duigan
The Migrant Women’s Cry
Talking of the communities that are impacted by either the global pandemic or the generic process of migration, it is the women and children who are the most marginalized and cornered in terms of access to social protections. This is reflected in the insights given by Mr. Ignacio Packer, who is an international expert on human rights and social issues at International Council of Voluntary Agencies(ICVA). Mr. Packer emphasized on the need to enhance legal protection aimed at reducing vulnerabilities of women and children within the migrant communities , which is also embedded in the Objective 7 of the Global Compact for Migration(GCM) formulated in the year 2018.This requirement can be implemented by the state authorities who can be held accountable of these vulnerabilities due to the gender and economic biases that exist within the social policies.
Women have been the most marginalized community in both the pre-COVID and post-COVID situation, as highlighted by Ms. Ellene A. Sana, who is a director of the Centre for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) in Philippines. Ms. Sana pointed out the low regard of society towards migrant work, which is performed primarily by women migrant workers.
“Migrant domestic workers number at 11.5 million with women domestic workers comprising 8.45 million, or 73.4% of all migrant domestic workers. In the case of Philippines, 56% of our migrants in 2019 were women, with 62.5% in domestic work. These women migrant workers are disproportionately vulnerable to abuse and exploitation because of the nature of their work, more so in COVID times”: Ms. Ellene A. Sana.
Ms. Sana further elaborated on the situation of women migrants in Philippines and how the nature of their work and physical capacity determines their ability to move to a country of destination. Therefore, it is only due to the ties of marriage that most women migrants could move to another country. Ms. Sana also added the importance of imparting information and capacity building among women migrant workers to secure their rights.
Equality For Migrant Children
“Child migrant is a child first”, says Ms. Irene de Lorenzo – Careres Cantero, the Advocacy and Policy Specialist (Child Migration) at United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who began her address by appreciating GCM for recognizing that children are central to migration management. Ms. Irene added that the Global Compact for Migration (GCM)objective 7 focuses exclusively on child protection issues. Migrant children face discrimination at various levels, for instance, by being put under the care of migrant authorities instead of child protection authorities despite their tender age, or by how migration detention is justified as a protective measure for children. Ending practice of child migration detention, promoting child sensitive returns and reintegration, ensuring inclusion of migrant children in national and local systems and services, and strengthening cooperation of child protection actors across borders, are measures that can be taken to convert vulnerability into opportunity and this can be ensured by bringing all stakeholders together and encouraging peer learning among them. For instance, encouraging social inclusion of the migrant child through school curriculum and encouraging holistic development of the child irrespective of their ethnicity and citizenship would be more efficient.
Affirmative Shield towards Migrants’ Vulnerability
The need for pragmatic measures to fight the vulnerabilities of migrants has increased tremendously since the past decade, especially with the advent of the pandemic. The social exclusion towards the migrant groups was made visible when they were targeted as the carrier of the virus in the country of destination from the country of origin. In order to tackle this, world organizations such as The Red Cross, have taken the initiatives in the areas of providing food , health coverage and proper documentation to assure legal protection of migrant workers. This was highlighted by Ms. Helen Brunt, Senior Regional Migration & Displacement Officer at International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies. Ms. Brunt stated that the Philippine Red Cross has launched a web-based application called the Virtual Volunteer, that “puts vital information directly into the hands of those who most need it.” The organization has also worked towards introducing an online library to promote availability of crucial information on COVID-19 in several native languages of the migrant groups.
Another crucial step towards bridging the gap in the case of vulnerabilities of the migrant groups, especially children, is through the encouragement of youth regional cooperation in the country of destination, with a focus on peer learning to promote social interaction between the children, i.e. migrant child and citizen child, as stated by Ms. Irene Lorenzo. Communication and sensitization are other manners by which vulnerabilities of the migrant groups can be reduced if not eliminated. Ms. Sandra Federici, editor in chief at Africa e Mediterraneo, added as to how in the year 2019, a 3 year project , funded by the European Union, had put together 19 municipalities and border territories of European countries working at the forefront of migration in terms of integration of the migrants coming in from the countries of the Africa. Ms.Federici talked about how the project had developed two kinds of activities to spread awareness, sensitization, in order to recollect and communicate situation on websites, along with advocating how one day in the year, i.e. 3rd of October, can be remembered as the European day in the memory of the migration diversities .These projects have been promoted by the organization in order to encourage border , town and island network for the migrants coming in from underdeveloped countries of Africa.
The webinar concluded with panelists expressing solidarity with migrant workers and emphasizing on the need to address these vulnerabilities.
Pooja Priya, is a postgraduate in sociology from Delhi school of economics, University of Delhi. She holds research interests in: migration within the globalsouth, marginalization for ethnically minority groups, racialization in India. Twitter id : poojapr92856063.