UPSC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : It’s time we stop invisibilizing migrant workers
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: Indian Express
• Prelims: Migration, Kerala Migration Survey (KMS), GCC, unemployment, Covid-19 etc
• Mains GS Paper I and II: Vulnerable sections of society, Laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections of society etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• Over 40 Indian migrant workers in Kuwait died in a fire in the six-storey building where they lived.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Migration:
• The International Organization for Migration defines a migrant as any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a state away from his/her habitual place of residence.
• Examining the migration shifts in scale, direction, demography and frequency can lead to effective policies, programmes and operational responses on the ground.
• Women, especially of working age, comprise a greater share of the migrant pool.
Factors Determining Migration:
• It can be either voluntary or forced movements as a consequence of the increased magnitude or frequency of disasters, economic challenges and extreme poverty or conflict situations.
• Covid-19 pandemic is also one of the major causes of Migration.
Push and Pull Factors of Migration:
• Push factors are those that compel a person to leave a place of origin (out-migration) and migrate to some other place such as – economic reasons, social reasons, lack of development of a particular place.
• Pull factors indicate the factors which attract migrants (in-migration) to an area (destination) such as job opportunities, better living conditions, availability of basic or high-level facilities etc.
Examples of recent events depicting harsh conditions of workers in Gulf:
● The football World Cup in Qatar: there were several news reports about rising migrant deaths, harsh working conditions and severe violations of human rights.
● Dubai Expo, which saw the massive involvement of migrant workers to ensure the rapid development of infrastructure.
● Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia reported that migrants constituted 75 percent of the total people who tested positive for the virus.
Reason for such incidents:
• Chronic indifference towards addressing migrant rights, safety and working conditions in destination countries.
Issues faced by migrant laborers:
• The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023: It estimates that 2 million people from the state have migrated, with 80 percent of them residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• The majority of these migrants work in the unorganized sector, such as construction sites and factories, where they often face dangerous working conditions.
• Migrants in Gulf countries do not have the option of permanent residency They are not adequately protected and have few rights It can lead to exploitative labor conditions similar to those observed in Qatar in the run-up to the World Cup.
• They are not adequately protected and have few rights
• It can lead to exploitative labor conditions similar to those observed in Qatar in the run-up to the World Cup.
Challenges in addressing these issues:
• The lack of data on migrants both at their origin and destination countries. The deaths of several migrant workers were reported in Qatar over the last decade owing to involvement in the rapid construction works Neither the country’s Ministry of Public Health nor the several embassies of Asian countries had any concrete data regarding the health status of migrants
• The deaths of several migrant workers were reported in Qatar over the last decade owing to involvement in the rapid construction works
• Neither the country’s Ministry of Public Health nor the several embassies of Asian countries had any concrete data regarding the health status of migrants
• The lack of clarity and uniformity in data available from different agencies was indicative of the grave invisibilization of the migrants especially those employed in the low-skill, low-paying job profiles. These set of migrants also tend to be the most vulnerable, staying away from home with limited resources and means to defend themselves.
• especially those employed in the low-skill, low-paying job profiles.
• These set of migrants also tend to be the most vulnerable, staying away from home with limited resources and means to defend themselves.
Way Forward
• Considering the strength of the Indian diaspora around the world, especially the migration corridor India shares with West Asia We need well-thought-out, effective policies to ensure the safety and well-being of migrants from India.
• We need well-thought-out, effective policies to ensure the safety and well-being of migrants from India.
• Although sources of data like the KMS provide regular updates regarding patterns of emigration The return migration and remittances in Kerala and have been replicated in many Indian states, including Jharkhand, Punjab, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Odisha
• The return migration and remittances in Kerala and have been replicated in many Indian states, including Jharkhand, Punjab, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Odisha
• There is an urgent need to study the conditions of their migration and their lives in the destination country.
• A national-level migration database is a necessary step forward to adequately understand the various sections of migrants from India and also the increasing trend of return migration, as observed in the latest KMS figures.
• Most Indians migrate with dreams of a better future for themselves and their families. They are seen only in a reductive manner, as people sending remittances to the home country.
• They are seen only in a reductive manner, as people sending remittances to the home country.
• India has signed Memoranda of Understanding with almost all of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on mobility and migration. Yet, India has not yet been fully successful in tapping the potential of being one of the strongest migrant-sending countries to ensure the well-being of its people in the destination country.
• Yet, India has not yet been fully successful in tapping the potential of being one of the strongest migrant-sending countries
• to ensure the well-being of its people in the destination country.
• India needs to be known as the country with the most efficient infrastructure for ensuring safe migration and life at the destination for migrants, not just the highest migrant-sending country that receives the most remittances.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
• Discuss the desirability of greater representation to women in the higher judiciary to ensure diversity, equity and inclusiveness.(UPSC 2021) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
Editorial Analysis – 14 June 2024