Govt must take steps to mitigate impact of lockdown on migrant workers: ICJ

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Thursday asked the Centre to take effective measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on migrant workers and guarantee the right to minimum adequate standard of living.

The nationwide lockdown, which was earlier from March 25 to April 14, was on Tuesday extended to May 3 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

While the measures taken by the government so far are important, they have proved inadequate. The government's efforts need to be targeted towards internal migrant workers and respond to the multiple layers of discrimination and risks they face, ICJ India's International Legal Advisor Maitreyi Gupta said.

The announcement of the second lockdown has led to thousands of migrant workers in Mumbai and Surat protesting this decision and demanding the right to return home, the ICJ said.

It came soon after more than 500,000 migrant workers and their families attempted to travel distances of hundreds of kilometers on foot to return to their homes after the first lockdown period was announced on March 24, the commission on jurists said.

This massive internal displacement has led to the deaths of 22 internal migrant workers and their family members, including seven children, the ICJ claimed.

The situation of internal migrant workers in India is wholly unacceptable. If their urgent needs are not addressed in a way that respects their human rights, it will only serve to compound the current crisis, said Frederick Rawski, ICJ Asia-Pacific Director.