Young Migrant Workers Bear Brunt of COVID-19 Pandemic

Research consultants Nandinchimeg Magsar (Mongolia), Sangeet Kayastha (Nepal), Anna Marie Alhambra (Philippines) and Dr Vazirov Jamshed (Tajikistan) briefed a webinar organised by APDA on the impact of COVID-19 on the youth. By Cecilia RussellJohannesburg, Sep 29 2021 (IPS) Most families in the Republic of Tajikistan were affected when economic migrants were caught up in the COVID-19 pandemic abroad, Dr Vazirov Jamshed, research consultant for Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), told a webinar on the impact of the pandemic on youth. In a predominantly agriculturally driven economy, he said, many young people seek employment abroad – mainly in the Russian Federation and other countries. When the pandemic lockdowns started, these workers found themselves without jobs, and the remittances that once “accounted for 30 percent of the country’s GDP in 2019 had declined by half in 2021”. These were not the only young economic migrants left without means and often without access to basic services abroad. Sangeet Kayastha, AFFPD research consultant from Nepal, said it was estimated that 20 percent of Nepalese abroad were at risk of being unemployed. “They have not received their wages and other benefits and are deprived of access to basic services, including health facilities,” he told the forum. While the government had promoted the repatriation of migrant workers, this was “at their own cost”. The webinar, hosted by Asian Forum of ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Asia-Pacific COVID-19 Development & Aid Health Humanitarian Emergencies Population Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations #AsiaPacific #Parliamentarians Youth Source Type: news