#LeaveNoOneBehind

Five years ago, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. With the COVID-19 contagion wreaking havoc on the global economy and on people’s lives and livelihoods, world leaders are trying to rally the people behind calls of “we’re all in the same boat” and “now is the time to work together”. National responses of governments focus on somehow supporting their citizens with economic packages and the work of the health services. But where does this leave those who are often left on the margins of society, such as migrants, informal workers, and indigenous peoples?

For the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Tetet Lauron spoke with Aaron Ceradoy from the Asia-Pacific Mission for Migrants in Hong Kong and with Shivani Chaudhry from the Housing and Land Rights Network in New Delhi. Both work with different groups who were already facing multi-layered inequalities even before the pandemic struck.

TL: Can you describe the impacts of the pandemic situation and how it is affecting people?

AC: We are very concerned about the potential impacts of the virus, especially since there is a lack of accessible information for the 33.4 million migrant workers (with 11 million of them working as undocumented migrants) in Asia-Pacific. In Hong Kong alone, there are more than 380,000 migrants working as domestic care workers.

Hong Kong has imposed a ban on all incoming non-residents of Hong Kong until further notice. There are also restrictions on social gatherings in public places. Schools have been closed as well as some establishments. The government has announced a salary subsidy to employees and budget support for employers. All Hong Kong residents, except foreign domestic workers, were also promised a cash subsidy. While Hong Kong has been commended for its handling of the pandemic, the “inclusiveness” of its responses still leaves a lot to be desired. Early on, it was even called out for discouraging foreign domestic workers (FDW) from taking their day off, without considering the actual condition of FDWs and that this would impinge on their human and labour rights.

Together with the International Migrants Alliance, Alliance of Marriage Migrant Organizations for Rights and Empowerment (AMMORE), and the Interfaith Network for the Rights of Migrants, we have launched the COVID-19 Migrant Monitor, a web-based initiative that gathers timely and appropriate information directed towards helping migrants during the Coronavirus outbreak. The website offers the following information: (a) government responses to the outbreak that may impact on the lives and livelihood of migrants. These may include travel restrictions, action responses such as financial support as well as health and social services access, and announcements on visa and immigration rules; (b) initiatives and actions of migrant organizations, service providers, and advocates directed towards assisting migrants and their families; and (c) surveys to gather information on the situations and needs of migrants. We hope that the information generated and shared on the website can be used towards advocacy for adequate and inclusive protection and services for migrants amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to strengthen campaigns for the protection of their rights.

We also hope to highlight the importance of solidarity and mutual support among grassroots migrant organizations, service providers, trade unions, and other local people’s organizations to ensure that people’s rights are upheld during this period of crisis and even beyond. 

How are people coping with the lockdowns and keeping busy?

SC: The government has taken precautions in terms of locking down the country to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Given India’s very large population, especially in terms of those living in poverty, we cannot afford to have widespread community spread of COVID-19, as inadequate living conditions and high morbidity of the poor could result in extensive loss of life. In that regard, containment measures have been necessary. However, there is the great challenge presented by the sudden lockdown without adequate foresight and planning, in that it rendered millions of people stranded overnight. India announced a nationwide 21-day lockdown at 20:00 on 24 March, which took effect four hours later, at midnight. This took the entire country by surprise, as people had no time to prepare. On 14 April, India’s lockdown was extended for another 19 days until 3 May 2020.

The worst affected have been the migrant workers. Overnight, the lockdown left them without work, food, or housing, and they had no means to return home as all state transport services were ordered to be closed. This led to thousands walking hundreds of kilometres without food and water to get home before they were stopped, and others being accommodated in vacant schools and community halls; both situations have had adverse consequences on the health of these affected groups. While state governments are responding through several targeted relief measures, there are many challenges still in terms of the quality of emergency housing and food being provided, and the fact that people want to go home. Some people lost their lives while trying to reach their home towns, largely from fatigue from walking and hunger. After over a month of the lockdown, the poor are facing hunger, malnutrition, adverse health, and the inability to purchase essential items, as they have lost their work and thus their wages.

The central government has announced a 1.73 trillion rupee (22.6 billion dollar) relief package aimed at providing additional food grains to the urban and rural poor and some limited cash assistance to women who have bank accounts. But benefits have still not reached many people; neither has the scheme addressed the needs and concerns of the informal sector workers who account for 80 to 90 percent of India’s work force.

Across India, individuals, voluntary organizations, and other sections of society have come together and responded to the crisis in extremely positive ways, including through large donations and drives for food provision. Most of the measures are targeted at the migrants and homeless persons in urban areas. As of yet, not much is being done for the rural poor, including small farmers and women farmers. They are also likely to make severe losses on account of their inability to harvest crops.

As director of a small human rights organization that works on protecting and promoting the rights of the most marginalized, since the lockdown began I have been extremely busy, more so than before. Even before the lockdown, we were advocating that the Indian government take special measures to protect informal settlers, homeless persons, children, pregnant women, older persons, and persons with disabilities, and ensure that they have food to eat and are not excluded.

What is your perspective on the recently-promoted narrative that the Coronavirus is a kind of “equalizer” since it affects everyone, no matter where they are, no matter what their status in life is?

AC:  Although the virus is apolitical, with deeper analysis and taking into consideration what is happening with migrants and refugees, the pandemic has brought to the surface existing, festering inequalities in society.

In Hong Kong, the government’s relief package does not include provisions for migrant domestic workers. Migrants and refugees who have been marginalized are further pushed into the margins, as policies of governments are mostly meant for their citizens, despite migrants’ and refugees’ contributions to society.  

We received alarming reports that in countries like South Korea, government-issued identification cards are needed to purchase masks, and this excludes undocumented migrants from receiving vital and life-saving equipment and services. The restrictions in mobility have created anxiety among undocumented workers as the increased presence of police meant more chances of them getting inspected and being asked for identification documents. Restrictions in the quantity of masks and other protective equipment that can be purchased by individuals also resulted in the inaccessibility of such items for undocumented migrants, as they have no proper identification to present when making purchases. Economic slowdown—that was present even before the outbreak—has also taken its toll as undocumented migrants are in a “no-work, no-pay situation”. Many migrant workers have already been sent back to their home countries, and this adds another layer of vulnerability and anxiety over the disastrous effect of loss of jobs and incomes on their families. We foresee an increase in cases of depression, suicide, domestic violence, and other manifestations of mental health problems.

If we are to summarize the impacts to migrant workers, we can say that the following are the major impacts: (a) increased health risks due to exclusion from the provision of protective equipment and other essentials. It should also be noted that many migrants are medical frontliners, but there are many more working as cleaners, restaurant workers, service workers, and even caregivers and domestic workers who take care of the households; (b) livelihood impacts due to job losses, reduction of wages due to reduction of working days and hours, and insecurity of employment as the pandemic spreads; (c) exclusion from economic relief both by the host governments and sending governments, which is even more grave for undocumented migrants, international students, and refugees, and; (d) heightened discrimination and xenophobia especially to Asian migrants who are perceived as “virus carriers”.

SC: COVID-19 might infect people regardless of income, race, gender, religion, but it is definitely not an equalizer. It disproportionately impacts the economically weaker and marginalized sections of society—both in terms of their heightened vulnerability to contracting the disease and in terms of their inability to cope with and recover from it. Regular handwashing, practising physical distancing, staying at home, and isolating/quarantining are measures that low-income communities are not able to practise and thus face extreme vulnerabilities. The pandemic has exposed many gaps in social protection and social welfare systems, across countries, especially in terms of access to healthcare, adequate housing, water, and sanitation. It thus presents an opportunity to rectify these gaps through adequate investments and long-term planning to develop durable solutions, but there is also a real threat that it could further exacerbate income inequalities, especially on account of lockdowns and the resulting loss of employment for millions. Already, predictions estimate that over 500 million people will further fall into poverty. Strong rights-based interventions would thus need to be made to ensure that recovery plans do not override human rights, including the right to privacy.

Talking about the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fit to meet the scale of the COVID-19 challenge?

AC: Looking at the situation now and considering that the SDGs have been there for the past five years, it is very apparent that the SDGs are yet to respond to fundamental questions pertaining to genuine sustainable development for the people. The SDGs do not depart from the dominant development paradigm that puts more emphasis on businesses and profits rather than on people’s well-being. The issues of health services, employment security, food sufficiency, and other concerns arising from the pandemic were the same questions posed before the 2030 Agenda was approved. Clearly, structural and systemic barriers that hinder the SDGs from realizing their promises to the people have to be analyzed and addressed.

SC: The crisis should actually heighten the importance of the SDGs. If countries had been on track in meeting their SDG commitments, they would have been much better prepared to face this pandemic. However, the lack of attention to SDGs is a reason for poor preparedness and inadequate response to such epidemics. The situation calls for a much greater focus on and commitment to fulfilling SDGs, but it also draws attention to the need for a strong human rights approach, including in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and moreover in terms of implementation of SDGs. Without a human rights approach, the SDGs cannot be successfully realized. The aspiration of “Leaving No One Behind”, which is the basis of the SDGs, is critical in response to the pandemic and in promoting the human rights of all, especially the most vulnerable and excluded.

The UN Secretary General released an appeal to “recover better”. Can you get behind it?

AC: The current economic paradigm of neoliberalism espoused and adopted by many governments cannot address pandemics, and the decades of privatization of health care have destroyed the capability of societies’ health sectors. To “recover better” means to change the paradigm that will govern the rebuilding efforts. “Better” should not be merely cosmetic though. It should go straight to the foundation of the global structure as any rebuilding that will not look at the basic structure will just be swept away again when the next crisis comes. Solidarity and inclusiveness should be paramount, with the profit motive excluded from the picture.     

SC: It is an important call and should be incorporated into all response measures by focusing on the human rights of all, especially the most marginalized. However, fundamental structural shifts are required to address glaring inequalities and weak social protection systems, especially with regard to housing, healthcare, and social security. There needs to be much greater cooperation between states and also between state and non-state actors as well as increased solidarity and collective action, in order to move forward. The pandemic has clearly shown the imperviousness and irrelevance of national borders on one hand, but on the other, it has also led to greater nationalistic responses, such as closing of borders and unfortunate incidents of increased racism and xenophobia.

The international community must integrate a strong human rights approach in its response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts, at every level. This is the time for strengthening human rights and social protections around the world through innovative and durable solutions.

The path forward has to be forged with a well-calibrated balance of national sovereignty and internationalism and multilateralism, which focuses on promoting the common interests and rights of humanity as well as the health of the planet.