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A day after the Union Minister of Home Affairs ordered that the movement of migrant workers be restricted, groups representing informal workers on Monday said the decision would lead to chaos for the workers already suffering due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

As the country observes a three-week lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 to contain the spread of the virus, daily wage workers have been left with no work and income forcing large groups to make their way back home, many on foot due to the ban on all public transport.

In a statement, the Working People Charter and Aajeevika Bureau termed the MHAs order on Sunday unrealistic as it ignores many harsh realities that workers have been persistently facing in cities, which have now been compounded several times over due to the lock-down.

The statement said the government needed to acknowledge the situation that had compelled workers to return to their villages and that these conditions were likely to worsen with new advisories.

Total sealing of borders and total lock-down will escalate panic and aggravate chaos and crowding of migrants attempting to reach their homes...There is a real danger that the order will grant unabated power into the hands of the police to physically detain or assault migrants who are merely trying to fend for themselves in this moment of crisis, the statement read.

The groups highlighted the need for compassion in dealing with the situation, adding that the police should be directed to show restraint in their interactions with the workers. While the government has told employers to pay the workers and landlords not to collect rent for the lock-down period, the groups said the instruction needed fast-track legal aid and grievance response systems.

Trade unions also raised concerns about the condition of the workers. The Centre of India ln Trade Unions (CITU) wrote to the Prime Minister on Monday asking the government to ensure through statutorily enforceable measures and proactive enforcement and not by just advisories, that all workers including migrant workers are not removed from their employment and are paid their wages and that they are not vacated or forced to pay rent by the house owners.

CITU also said the Centre should coordinate with state governments to make sure no one goes hungry and that migrant workers have adequate food and shelter.

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Coronavirus | Curbs on migrants workers will worsen crisis, say activists - The Hindu

A massive movement of migrant labourers back to their native villages and disruption in supply chains of essential commodities highlight the teething troubles that have accompanied the lockdowns initial days. The abrupt announcement of the lockdown and directions to citizens to stay put saw contradictory impulses surfacing. Police forced even essential services off the roads while many landlords nudged out tenants unable to pay rent. Living in cities amid inflationary times, commodity scarcities and police harassment can unnerve even well heeled citizens. Bereft of savings, social support nets and wary of the outsider tag, it is no surprise that seasonal migrant labour are heading back to their native villages flouting the lockdown.

The visuals of hapless migrant workers walking away from big cities towards inter-state borders undermines the collective resolve evident during the Prime Ministers call for a one-day Janata Curfew. The lockdown was meant to avoid hospitals getting overwhelmed and to buy time for bolstering healthcare capacities. But mismanagement is producing a huge humanitarian fallout with thousands of fatigued people walking home on empty stomachs. In hindsight, a limited-period repatriation could have been allowed before the lockdown was clamped.

The huge internal migration catching central and state governments napping doesnt present a reassuring sight. No less worrying is the hostile reception some migrants are receiving back home. With no end to such cascading troubles governments, district administrations, municipal bodies, panchayati raj institutions and police cannot rest easy by merely shepherding migrant labourers away from highways. They need to arrange adequate night shelters, community kitchens, public toilets, fever clinics, and make good the promise to deliver free rations.

Economic relief packages by Centre and state need to set aside funds for such wayside facilities lest welfare schemes elude migrant workers. Some chief ministers are coming to the fore by taking up leadership of lockdown measures. The lockdowns chaos is also a warning to the Centre to take states into confidence before announcements with national implications. India is too big a country and diktats from Delhi need to factor in ground realities in the states too. As the lockdown nears a week, all official functionaries from the Prime Minister and chief ministers down to district magistrates must communicate more frequently and effectively with citizens to avert panic and build confidence and trust in government.

This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.

Read more:
Indias long march: A humanitarian crisis has come to the fore with migrant workers fleeing lockdown on foot - Economic Times

Bosnian Security Minister Fahrudin Radoncic commented about the migrant crisis, stating that Bosnia and Herzegovina is maximum responsible when it comes to humanitarian part, and sent a message to people who are worrying about the status of illegal migrants to put a pressure on governments of European countries to accept them, Srna reports.

I have free-of-charge advice for all people worrying about the status of illegal migrants pressure on governments of European countries to accept migrants and demonstrate much more solidarity, Radoncic told Srna commenting on the writing of the British Guardian about Bosnias attitude towards migrants.

Radoncic has said that illegal migrants did not come to BiH to stay but are on their way to Western European countries.

The British Guardian wrote about two crises that hit BiH, the migrants and the coronavirus, saying that the fear from infection led to urgent measures and relocation of those people to tents in a remote camp Lipa, which does not guarantee safe life, reports the Klix internet portal.

The paper saw a document in which the city of Bihac civil defense headquarters asked that the move be carried out in order to take urgent measures to prevent the onset of the disease caused by Covid-19., The Srpska Times reports.

The paper says that the setting up of a camp in Lipa, a village about 25 km from the border with Croatia, started a few days ago, prompting panic among asylum seekers and volunteers, who fear the measure will not guarantee any assistance to migrants.

The paper says that among the main problems is the concern over access to water, heat and electricity, as well as a feeling that the move marks a further deterioration in their living conditions.

The British paper says, among other things, that the decision to move migrants to Lipa has sparked a row in the country, with representatives of Serbs, who returned to Bosnias Federation entity after fleeing during the war, complaining that the Muslim migrants living in the new tent camp near the village could be a threat to their livelihoods.

See the article here:
Security Minister claims Bosnia and Herzegovina is maximally responsible when it comes to Migrants - Sarajevo Times

Coronavirus putting increasing strain on specialist domestic abuse services which are falling apart at the seams and already having to close doors

Domestic abuse services and human rights organisations call for emergency protections for migrant women, as Home Secretary vows she will not let down victims of domestic abuse amid crisis

At a time when safety and healthcare is what we all need, migrant women victims of domestic abuse are denied these fundamental lifelines open letter to the Home Secretary

More than 20 BME specialist frontline services, migrant and human rights organisations in the UK have written an open letter to the Home Secretary calling for emergency support to help migrant victims of domestic abuse amidst the Covid-19 crisis.

The letter - organised by the Latin American Womens Rights Service and Amnesty International UK - expresses concern for the impact the current health emergency is having on domestic abuse cases, as self-isolation inevitably leads to an increase in violence.

It comes a day after the Home Secretarys comments in a national newspaper which clarified that domestic abuse victims are allowed to leave home to seek help at refuges despite measures put in place to stop Covid-19 spreading. The Home Secretary also made a pledge "to every potential victim: we have not forgotten you and we will not let you down.

Despite this, the Government has not provided any additional funds or resources to help frontline services cope with the additional strain during the health crisis. The organisations warn that the Home Secretarys guarantee doesnt go far enough to support women with an insecure immigration status, who often dont have access to public funds and therefore dont qualify for refuge beds.

Four in five migrant women are turned away from refuges, and they are often too scared to seek healthcare. At the same time, migrant women are prevented from reporting domestic abuse to the police or other statutory services as perpetrators threat them with deportation.

Domestic abuse services falling apart at the seams

The letter warns that refuges and counselling services are at full capacity and are falling apart at the seams, with most services already having to close doors to protect staff and the people we support.

The organisations are urging the Government to protect the many victims of this horrendous crime, no matter what their immigration status, including by:

Full letter and signatories:

Dear Secretary of State,

At a time when safety and healthcare is what we all need, migrant women victims of domestic abuse are denied these fundamental lifelines

The Step Up Migrant Women campaign - a coalition of more than 40 BME and migrant specialist frontline services, domestic abuse services, social justice and human rights organisations, led by the Latin American Womens Rights Service - are writing to urge you to establish an emergency national strategy that ensures migrant victims of domestic abuse can access the support they need in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We understand that self-isolating, social distancing and staying at home are necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect each other. But whilst home is often seen as a sanctuary, for many it is a place of hostility, violence and danger. For that reason, we are concerned about evidence showing increasing numbers of domestic abuse cases due to quarantine emergency measures.

Domestic abuse affects roughly two million people a year in the UK, the majority of whom are women. For those who experience violence at home, the prospect of self-isolating of being locked in with your abuser is terrifying beyond belief. And for those who cannot access the support they need those who do not qualify for spaces in refuges, and those who are too scared to seek healthcare or call the police for help the situation can be unbearable.

Many women with insecure immigration status do not have access to public funds so are often blocked from accessing safety and the support they need four in five are, for instance, turned away from refuges. They are reluctant to go to the doctor or hospital if they are worried about their health, because they are scared they will be reported to immigration enforcement. At the same time, migrant women are prevented from reporting domestic abuse to the police or other statutory services since perpetrators use immigration status as a tool of coercive control threatening them with detention, deportation, destitution or separation from their children.

Over the next few months, the situation is only going to get worse. Evidence from China and Italy is emerging that the COVID-19 crisis will exacerbate domestic abuse. More and more people will rely on frontline domestic abuse services, on refuges and counselling services. But these services are already at full capacity and are falling apart at the seams. Most of us are already having to close our doors to protect our staff and the people we support. We are working endless hours to put our services online, and to make sure we are able to carry on providing women with lifesaving advice and counselling services. However, we are worried that the vulnerability of migrant women may increase since specialist BME and migrant services are experiencing shrinking capacity due the lack of face-to-face support as a consequence of the virus outbreak.

We are in a crisis, and we need the Government to urgently act to protect the many victims of these horrendous crimes. For all the reasons above we are joining with the voices of other BME, migrant and social justice organisations and the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector - who are working together to set out what the government must do to protect all victims. From the Step Up Migrant Women coalition we calling on the government to:

The Step Up Migrant Women coalition is calling on the Government to ensure that victims are treated as victims first by prioritising their safety before their immigration status

Yours sincerely,

1. Abi Brunswick, Director, Project 17

2. Asfah Kosir, Immigration adviser, Kiran Support Services

3. Baljit Banga, Director, Imkaan

4. Clare Collier, Advocacy Director, Liberty

5. Daf Viney, Director of Services at Hackney Migrant Centre

6. Elizabeth Jimnez-Yez, Coordinator, Step Up Migrant Women Campaign

7. Fiona Dwyer, Chief Executive, Solace

8. Fizza Qureshi- CEO, Migrants' Rights Network

9. Gisela Valle, Director, Latin American Womens Rights Services

10. Halaleh Taheri, Executive Director, MEWSo

11. Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive, Agenda

12. Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK

13. Katie Richards, Trustee, Refugee Womens Centre

14. Lucila Granada, Director, FLEX

15. Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, Womens Budget Group

16. Natasha Walter and Marchu Girma, Directors, Women for Refugee Women

17. Nicki Norman, Acting Co-Chief Executive, Womens Aid Federation of England

18. Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, Chief Executive, Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA)

19. Pragna Patel, Director, Southall Black Sisters

20. Rena Sodhi, Director, London Black Womens Project

21. Rosa dos Ventos Lopes Heimer, Policy Coordinator, Latin American Womens Aid

22. Rosalind Bragg, Director, Maternity Action

23. Sarah Green, Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition

24. Satbir Singh, Chief Executive, JCWI

25. Sawsan Salim, Director, KMEWO

26. Vicky Marsh, Advocacy & Support Worker, Safety4Sisters

27. Vivienne Hayes, CEO, Womens Resource Centre

28. Umme Imam, Executive Director, The Angelou Centre

See more here:
Domestic abuse services call for urgent support for migrant victims blocked from safety, healthcare and refuges - Amnesty International UK

Indias chaotic attempt to go into a lockdown to combat the coronavirus has had an unusual side-effect: it has the attention of the elites, ensconced in their homes during the three-week period, to the plight of the countrys massive migrant labour population.

The Central governments failure to adequately plan forced hundreds of thousands of people to try to walk back home, sometimes hundreds of kilometres, since work and wages in the city had dried up. The Centre has however clearly asked for anyone on the roads to be treated as a violator of the lockdown, leaving them vulnerable to more mistreatment and violence from the state.

While some of this is due to the governments failure to frame an intelligent, empathetic plan before announcing the lockdown, the lack of attention for this particular group would not have been surprising from any government.

As many as 120 million Indians are estimated to travel seasonally every year from rural areas to work in cities, farms or industrial areas. Without them, Indias factories, farms and construction sites would simply not be able to operate. They often have to work in the low-paying, hazardous conditions and because they are informal, seasonal workers, there is little in the way of social security or employee safety on offer.

Even though they number in the tens of millions, the fact that they are dispersed through India and the fact that the migration is seasonal means that they are often left without a political voice. The timing of Indias general election in the current cycle, for example, specifically precludes the inclusion of seasonal migrants who have to choose work and a livelihood over their political franchise.

Being mobile and without political franchise often leaves them extremely vulnerable and, indeed, invisible to the Indian state. They have poor access to health services or a social safety. Often, the cities in which they live are extremely inhospitable, and they constantly risk police violence.

Despite the scale of migration, seasonal migrant families lead invisible, isolated lives as they remain dispersed across the wide canvas of the city, wrote Divya Ravindranath and Divya Varma in 2019. Devoid of voting rights in the urban destinations that they help build with their labour, their lives are stripped of any form of political voice or agency. Their needs are rarely a part of the imagination of urban public services, including health systems.

Big shocks to the economy, like the coronavirus crisis or demonetisation, are the only times when these populations suddenly make themselves felt, ironically by their absences, as many return to the relative security of home.

But suddenly, because of the way Covid-19 operates and can be transported from the rich in the cities to the poor in the villages, policymakers are having to actually think about the patterns and needs of these migrants. Suddenly, Indians are realising that stay at home means very different things, depending on where you are in the pecking order.

Rather than penalising these people for attempting to make their way home, it is important for the Indian state at every level to use this opportunity as a wake-up call.

This must result in better coordination of policies between the source city and destination states (since the patterns are quite clearly etched), the Central government making an effort to provide a social safety net and an initiative to make it easier for internal migrants to have a political voice. This crisis serves as an important reminder that policies with a 120 million-person hole at the heart of them are flawed.

Read more here:
Indias seasonal migrants have been invisible for too long. This crisis should be a wake-up call - Scroll.in