‘Facilitate free coronavirus testing for migrant workers’

Migrant rights and advocacy groups from across regions today called on countries of origin and destination to undertake a gender-responsive assessment of the Covid-19 crisis, plan recovery packages with particular focus on low-skilled migrant workers to guide investment priorities.

They urged governments to invest on protecting women migrants' jobs, facilitate recovery of unpaid wages and assets left behind, and allow women migrants the possibility of contracting other available jobs in destination sites.

They further urged for income support and ensuring of free testing and treatment for Covid-19 for all migrants in better equipped and infection-controlled environments in both countries of origin and countries of destination.

They made the call during an e-symposium titled "Drawing the Curtain: Experiences of Women Migrant Workers" organised by Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).

It was part of RMMRU's series of such events under the banner "Build Back Better" on the Covid-19 situation and migration.

As long-term initiative, the rights and advocacy groups urged the governments to frame policies in countries of origin so that women are absorbed employment in various sectors.

They called for focusing on combating barriers that prevent female migrants from accessing justice and seeking remedies, to bring about substantive reform of the Kafala system, and develop alternatives to detention and deportation mechanisms.

They urged to ensure labour law coverage in both countries of origin and destination, including for domestic workers and their effective enforcement in line with ILO and CEDAW standards.

Migrants and refugees are among the disadvantaged groups who have been bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic most, said RMMRU Executive Director Prof CR Abrar, while moderating the e-symposium.

He said the pandemic provides scope to "look back and plan to build better".

Jean D'Cunha, senior global advisor on international migration at UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States in Cairo, said panic on Covid-19 in Arab countries has resulted in "increased xenophobia" against migrant workers particularly domestic workers as they have been seen as "vectors of the virus".

She said amid the pandemic, migrant workers found themselves stranded with borders being shut down while they were at risks of arrest, detention and deportation.

Unable to pay, employers terminated many documented migrant workers from their jobs and without any compensation. Many workers have been forced to return to the countries of origin before their job contracts end and even before the airports were closed, she added.

Undocumented female domestic workers in countries like Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan have been in difficult situation not being able to find employment and food amid the pandemic, said Roula Hamati, coordinator of Cross Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants in Beirut.

Alex Au, vice president of Singapore-based migrant rights group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), and Ellene Sana, executive director of Manila-based Center for Migrant Advocacy, among others, addressed the e-symposium.