28/07/2020
Human Rights Groups to Governments: Ensure Justice for Migrant Workers Sent Home Due to COVID-19
Coronavirus-related closures have left millions
of migrant workers stranded in overcrowded
dormitories and temporary residences —
unable to work and unable to return
home. These workers are at high risk not only
for contracting the coronavirus, but also
for human rights and labor violations,
advocates say.
As news of stranded migrant workers spread
across the world, a number of countries
have begun procedures to repatriate them.
But human rights groups warn that hasty
repatriation plans could become breeding
grounds for wage theft and other labor
violations.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected
millions of migrant workers in destination
countries, many of whom have lost their jobs,
been forced by employers to take unpaid leave
or reduced wages, or not received their wages
at all," the NGO Human Rights Watch said in a
press statement last week, endorsing a joint
letter by a coalition of migrants rights and
labor organizations. "Many migrant workers
struggle with whether to return home despite
their outstanding labor claims, while others
remain stranded in cities or border areas in
precarious conditions without access to
services or support."
In their letter, the groups call for an "urgent
justice mechanism" to ensure repatriated
migrant workers are paid the wages they're
owed before they return home.
“Migrant workers worldwide are suffering the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The least
governments can do is make sure that these
workers get the salaries and compensation
they have earned before they were forced to
leave their jobs,” Rothna Begum, senior
women’s rights researcher at Human Rights
Watch, said in a statement.
Hasty repatriation could
make a precarious situation
even worse, human rights
groups warn
https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2020/migrant-workers-covid-19/120571
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