JOIN USCOVID-19: UN rights chief distressed over plight of migrant workers in India
“Distressed” by the plight of migrant workers in the wake of the lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 outbreak in India, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Thursday stressed that the measures in response to pandemic should not “exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities”.
“The lockdown in India represents a massive logistical and implementation challenge given the population size and its density and we all hope the spread of the virus can be checked,” the UN Human Rights chief said, adding: “It is nonetheless important to ensure that measures in response to the COVID-19 are neither applied in a discriminatory manner nor exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities.”
Bachelet said that she was distressed by the plight of millions of internal migrants affected by the sudden announcement of a lockdown in India. She welcomed subsequent measures to address the situation, but noted that pervasive challenges remain.
A large number of migrant workers and their families, including women and children, had to leave the cities across the country, as the lockdown imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic rendered them jobless. With transport restrictions already in place and bus and train services suspended, many of them had walk hundreds of miles to reach their respective villages.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN noted that many impoverished migrants had been left without work and unable to pay for rent and food in the cities.
“Without the ability to sustain themselves in urban centres and in light of the almost complete shutdown of public transportation, hundreds of thousands of migrant men, women and children were forced to walk hundreds of kilometers trying to reach their villages and home states. Some have died making the journey,” it stated in a press-release issued from the headquarters of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. “On 29 March,” it added, “in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order to States to intercept migrants on their way home and require them to enter quarantine for a two-week period.”
Bachelet welcomed the subsequent instruction of the Supreme Court on March 31 to ensure that migrants were provided enough food, water, beds and supplies as well as psychosocial counseling in shelters that should be run by volunteers instead of security forces and that they should be treated in a humane manner.
“The Supreme Court’s order and its implementation will go a long way to ensuring the safety and rights of these vulnerable migrants. Many of these people’s lives have been suddenly uprooted by the lockdown, placing them in very precarious situations,” said the UN Human Rights commissioner, adding that the government had taken a number of other measures to address the situation such as ensuring the distribution of food services on a massive scale, pressing employers to pay wages and landlords to waive rents.
“In spite of all these significant efforts, more needs to be done as the human tragedy continues to unfold before our eyes,” she said, adding that special measures should also take into account the particular situation of migrant women, who were among the most economically vulnerable and impacted by the situation.
She also referred to reports and images emerged earlier this week of police officers beating people, including migrants, with batons for breaking quarantine rules and returning migrants being doused with disinfectant. “We understand the strains on police services at this time, but officers must show restraint and abide by international standards on the use of force and humane treatment in their efforts to respond to this pandemic, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s instruction.” A number of States have now issued explicit orders to their police forces to refrain from the use of force to contain the virus, she said.
The High Commissioner also expressed regret at measures that have the effect of stigmatizing sections of society, including migrants, such as the practice in some states of stamping hands of those quarantined in their homes, reportedly to ensure that they stay home, and sticking notices outside the homes of people quarantined. “It is important to weigh such measures against the right to privacy and avoid measures that would unduly stigmatize people within the community, who may already be vulnerable due to their social status or other factors,” said Bachelet.
Underlining that containing COVID-19 in the country that hosts one-sixth of the world’s population will require efforts not only by the Government, but also the population at large, she encouraged the Government to work shoulder-to-shoulder with civil society on the response – including many NGOs who were already providing relief.
“This is a time for domestic solidarity and unity. I encourage the Government to draw on India’s vibrant civil society to reach out to the most vulnerable sectors of society, to ensure no one is left behind in this time of crisis,” Bachelet said.