“Shattered Dreams; Broken Hopes” The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Migrant Workers in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the world hard, and it has affected the migrant workers as well. The mitigation process of the Covid-19 by governments especially developing countries-lockdowns, shut down of public and private institutions, and border controls has further deteriorated the social and economic situation of already vulnerable migrant workers as most of them lost their jobs and faced health challenges during the pandemic. These migrant workers were dealing with pressing issues such as abuses, stigma and discrimination, with no or difficult access to health facilities, and unsafe living conditions The objective of study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers and their families in Asian countries and uncover migrant workers, PLHIV migrants and women migrant’s issues due to the pandemic. Like other destination countries, migrant workers in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand have lost their income to support themselves and their families due to the abrupt business closures and lockdowns. CARAM Asia took the initiative to carry out research on problems of migrant workers in three countries with the help of local partners in Hong Kong, North South Initiative (NSI) in Malaysia, and MAP foundation in Thailand.