Each year, International Migrants Day is observed around a specific theme. The International Migrants Day 2020 theme is Reimagining Human Mobility. Though this year due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, migrants are disproportionately affected through job losses, evictions and discrimination.

“The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to rollback commitments to promote and protect the rights of migrants regardless of their legal status. It cannot become an excuse for the increased use of detention, often in overcrowded conditions, and the forced return of migrants to their place of origin without due process, in many cases in violation of international law. People on the move hope for a brighter future. It is our collective responsibility to create a safer, more resilient world and “Migration should be a choice, not a necessity,” said the UN org.

Every year, December 18, is celebrated as International Migrants Day. The day was appointed by the General Assembly of United Nations on December 4, 2000, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes for the first time the contribution of migration to sustainable development. 11 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain targets and indicators relevant to migration or mobility. The Agenda’s core principle is to “leave no one behind,” not even migrants.

The SDGs’ central reference to migration is made in target 10.7: to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies. Other targets directly related to migration mention trafficking, remittances, international student mobility and more. Moreover, migration is indirectly relevant to many more cross-cutting targets.

Caritas India was also actively involved in supporting the migrant workers during the attack of Covid-19 when thousands of migrant workers were displaced, lost jobs and returned to their states spending huge money in the willingness to reach safely back to their homes. A study was conducted by Caritas India on migrant’s returnee to know the Impact of Covid-19 in their lives. When the entire nation was experiencing the continuous lockdown, these migrants workers were stranded at different places and with the support of NGOs, Civil Societies and Govt. reached back to their home using Trains, Buses, Trucks and even cycling, walking, cycling and hiring three-wheelers, which was one of the dark sides for them when many of them died on the way back home.

Migrants workers who have made it to their destinations are often found without livelihood options. Caritas India Partners under Swaraksha Anti-Human Trafficking Program made an effort to conduct a skill mapping of the returnees so that they can be linked to Govt. Schemes for getting a livelihood. Once the lockdown was lifted in the country several NGOs came together for the support of returnee migrants. In the Swaraksha AHT Program target villages, more than five hundred returnee migrants were linked to MNREGA work after their Job card was initiated by Partners. Many of them were linked to the benefits and entitlements form Govt.

The Day for Migrants was also observed by Partners in Nichlol and Nautanwa area by PGSS and at Nawabganj area by DEHAT where the returnee migrants who are still at home and others in villages were told about safe migration. This day was observed with community people to sensitize them and make them aware of the key essentials of safe migration. As a practice in many of the villages under Swaraksha AHT Program, a Register is Kept at Panchayat to collect the information of the community folks moving outside the village for work so that each data and information related to the migrant with details of the employer can be verified and validated. As most of the migrants were displaced at the outbreak of the Pandemic the need to stabilize them and link them with work was very much required and during this day several schemes of the Govt. for their benefits were shared so that they can get the benefits from the Scheme entitlements.

During this week one of the breakthroughs was seen at the Indo-Nepal Border Rupaidiha where at the transition point the suspected travellers were intercepted by the Partners Staff at the interception booth who were crossing the border from Nepal. This effort of Swaraksha AHT booth team didn’t go futile they came across many suspected answers when they were questioning the suspected victims and Perpetrator and finally the team realized the case of unsafe migration and trafficking and the victims understood that they are caught now. Pancha Tamang and Manglee Lamani a 36-year-old lady said that they are going to Oman where she will work to feed her family. But they were unknown to the fact that this kind of migration may lead them into trouble. The Nepal Govt. has restricted the migration of Nepali women taking up jobs as housemaids in the Gulf countries as part of a bid to protect them from potential exploitation, so these women take the route from India to travel to Gulf countries with the help of Travel Agents in India. Eventually, after counselling of these two girls by Swaraksha AHT Partners Team and Border forces, they were sent back to Nepal where they were admitted to Shanti Rehabilitation centre and the accused were handover to Nepal police. So, during the week of International migrants Day, a success came into the bag of a partner where they escaped to young women from being Trafficked through unsafe migration.