Appeal No.2
On June 1, 2020, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Cross Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants (CCRM), Lawyers Beyond Borders (LBB), South Asian Regional Trade Union Council (SARTUC), and Solidarity Center launched a call upon countries of origin and destination to urgently put in place a transitional justice mechanism to address the issue of migrant workers being hastily repatriated without any means or access to proper redress mechanisms after having experienced job loss or non-payment of wages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A little over a month later, the situation has significantly worsened as large scale repatriations continue during the crisis with migrant workers returning empty handed and without the support and assistance that they require from both countries of origin and destination to address the alarming cases of wage theft that have resulted from these repatriation processes. Those numbers will continue to rise exponentially well beyond the availability of a vaccine even as markets struggle to stabilize.
Faced with this grave crime, we renew our call and we urge governments and UN agencies to take immediate action:
