COVID-19: "There is a great risk that human trafficking and bonded labour will increase in India".

27 July 2020

Photo credit: Naïade Plante/Aide et Action

Umi Daniel, Aide et Action's Migration Expert, speaks out on the Times of India blog to denounce the impact of Covid-19 on the already dramatic living conditions of Indian migrants. In view of the increased risk of human trafficking, Aide et Action calls on the Indian government to put in place as soon as possible social protection and employment support measures to support this vulnerable population. 

The Covid-19 pandemic, which brought the global economy to a halt, is now recognised as one of the world's worst crises since the Second World War. Across the globe, the economy came to a screeching halt, resulting in the loss of millions of jobs, especially for the most vulnerable. In India alone, nearly 400 million workers in the informal economy could slip into extreme poverty, warns Umi Daniel in an opinion piece " Perils of the pandemic and clouds of human trafficking "published on the Times of India blog

Vulnerable populations facing the dramatic consequences of COVID-19

Indian migrants make up the vast majority of these informal economy workers. Without land or property, they move from state to state to find seasonal jobs. Despite the Interstate Migrant Workers Act, passed in 1979, to regulate and protect their rights, these interstate migrants have remained second-class citizens, at best despised and most often simply forgotten by successive governments. Without assistance or social protection, most often deprived of civil status, they are left in the hands of intermediaries who do not hesitate to transport them, exploit them and sell them to the sectors most in need of labour, such as brickworks, construction and the textile industry. It is not uncommon today to see brick factories or construction sites making the headlines for widespread use of forced labour and debt bondage.

Out of the shadows but out of power

The COVID-19 pandemic has paradoxically highlighted the daily life of these migrants, who, in the shadows and with total disregard, used to do all the dirty work in the country. The general public, through reports, discovered the life of these unfortunate workers, penniless, stuck with their wives and children far from their villages of origin, often forced to walk hundreds of kilometres to find their closest relatives during the confinement... These are thus nearly 6.7 million migrant workersWe know little about these conditions, however, let alone about all those adults and children - sex workers, migrants, domestic workers and textile workers - who were exploited in this way. However, we know little or nothing about these conditions, let alone about all the adults and children - sex workers, migrants, domestic workers and textile workers - who were exploited in this way.  

Human trafficking may increase

In the face of the country's unprecedented economic crisis, migrants are left destitute, deprived of any access to basic social services. Many of them are already back in the big cities, ready to do anything to earn some money. There is now a great risk that human trafficking and debt bondage will increase. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation No. 205, adopted in 2017, requires governments to ensure that marginalised groups "freely choose employment" during post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation measures. However, this is not the case in India today. It is therefore imperative that the Indian government addresses this situation and implements employment and social protection measures as soon as possible to ensure the safety and well-being of migrants and all vulnerable populations more broadly.

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