A drama drawn from real situation: the migration street play sensitizing awareness on safe migration

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are two major States with high internal migration rates. Seasonal migration for livelihood as a means to access food and money through casual labour is very high in Madhya Pradesh.

Since 2001 to 2011, the number of migrants increased by 45% and the number is growing. People migrating for work face many challenges including lack of social security and health benefits, lack of portability of state-provided benefits, lack of access to affordable housing and basic amenities etc. apart from Xenophobia, socio-cultural barriers, exploitation, discrimination and abuse. 

Jeevan Nirman programme of Caritas India is using street play as a tool to raise awareness on safe migration. The artists convey the social message to a larger audience by employing catchy dialogues, attractive slogans and powerful dramatic elements like tragedy, humour, mimicry etc. to share the social message with a large group of people. These street dramas are performed in public spaces and use metaphors to portray moral principles that are relatable to any layperson. A similar street play was conducted in Samnapur in the Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh which attracted a large gathering. 

Jeevan Nirman programme works with internal migrant workers who move from one state to the other in search of their living. The overall objective of the programme is to enhance the living and working conditions of migrants and build their lives. Started with its one-year pilot phase and currently running in its continuation phase in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as source states to rebuild the lives of migrant workers and ensure the safe migration from the source to the destination. 

During International Migration Day which was organised on 20th December 2022, seven Gram Panchayat Chiefs and PRI members pledged their support and assistance to all actions carried out by Caritas India. Soon after the event, Caritas India initated the street plays in seven villages of the Samnapur block of the Dindori District of Madhya Pradesh, where migration issues are prevalent and numerous instances of exploitation have occurred as a result of unsafe migration routes and a lack of worker awareness. 

To achieve the programme goal of ensuring safe migration and self-dignity of impoverished people, several awareness programmes were conducted. Street plays being the top, receiving positive feedback from the migrant workers. This intervention will continue in other districts too.