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Tuesday, 31 March 2020, 12:59 pmPress Release: Auckland Action Against Poverty

Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling on theGovernment to grant people who do not meet the residentialrequirements access to benefits so that everyone can have aroof over their head and follow the Alert Level 4 Covid-19guidelines. We are asking:

- That the Governmentapplies Section64 of the Social Security Act (Emergency Benefit: grantduring epidemic in New Zealand) so that migrantswho have lost their employment or are stranded in thecountry can access emergency benefitpayments.

- Introduce regulations sothat the emergency benefit rate is set on par at theequivalent rate of the main benefit type that MSD wouldgrant to a person entitled to the benefit incircumstances where they would qualify.

- For theMinister of Social Development to apply Section 64 for aperiod of at least 6 months.

- Increase baselinebenefits to liveable levels.

People who do not havea source of income to put a roof over their head or accessto food wont be able to Stay at home and follow theAlert Level 4 Covid-19 guidelines. Migrant communities areat risk of facing severe economic hardship due to loss ofemployment and the inability to return to their homecountries due to travel restrictions around the world,says Brooke Fiafia, Auckland Action AgainstSpokesperson.

We are calling on the Government toapply Section 64 of the Social Security Act to granteveryone access to emergency benefits, and to setthe emergency benefit rate at the equivalent rate of themain benefit type that MSD would grant to a person entitledto the benefit in circumstances similar to theperson.

The Government has an opportunityto show leadership and good-will internationally by ensuringthat migrant communities in New Zealand have access toincome support during these times of crisis. We hope thiswill help foster reciprocity by overseas Governments andencourage them to grant welfare assistance to New Zealandcitizens overseas.

The more support we provide topeople to ensure they can follow the Alert Level 4 Covid-19guidelines, the sooner well come out of it. Providingadequate housing and income support for the homeless,migrant workers, and low-income families means we can remainunited in the fight againstCOVID-19.

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Read the original:
Migrants Need Access To Benefits Considering COVID-19 Crisis - Scoop.co.nz

A day after the Union Minister of Home Affairs ordered that the movement of migrant workers be restricted, groups representing informal workers on Monday said the decision would lead to chaos for the workers already suffering due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

As the country observes a three-week lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 to contain the spread of the virus, daily wage workers have been left with no work and income forcing large groups to make their way back home, many on foot due to the ban on all public transport.

In a statement, the Working People Charter and Aajeevika Bureau termed the MHAs order on Sunday unrealistic as it ignores many harsh realities that workers have been persistently facing in cities, which have now been compounded several times over due to the lock-down.

The statement said the government needed to acknowledge the situation that had compelled workers to return to their villages and that these conditions were likely to worsen with new advisories.

Total sealing of borders and total lock-down will escalate panic and aggravate chaos and crowding of migrants attempting to reach their homes...There is a real danger that the order will grant unabated power into the hands of the police to physically detain or assault migrants who are merely trying to fend for themselves in this moment of crisis, the statement read.

The groups highlighted the need for compassion in dealing with the situation, adding that the police should be directed to show restraint in their interactions with the workers. While the government has told employers to pay the workers and landlords not to collect rent for the lock-down period, the groups said the instruction needed fast-track legal aid and grievance response systems.

Trade unions also raised concerns about the condition of the workers. The Centre of India ln Trade Unions (CITU) wrote to the Prime Minister on Monday asking the government to ensure through statutorily enforceable measures and proactive enforcement and not by just advisories, that all workers including migrant workers are not removed from their employment and are paid their wages and that they are not vacated or forced to pay rent by the house owners.

CITU also said the Centre should coordinate with state governments to make sure no one goes hungry and that migrant workers have adequate food and shelter.

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Coronavirus | Curbs on migrants workers will worsen crisis, say activists - The Hindu

A massive movement of migrant labourers back to their native villages and disruption in supply chains of essential commodities highlight the teething troubles that have accompanied the lockdowns initial days. The abrupt announcement of the lockdown and directions to citizens to stay put saw contradictory impulses surfacing. Police forced even essential services off the roads while many landlords nudged out tenants unable to pay rent. Living in cities amid inflationary times, commodity scarcities and police harassment can unnerve even well heeled citizens. Bereft of savings, social support nets and wary of the outsider tag, it is no surprise that seasonal migrant labour are heading back to their native villages flouting the lockdown.

The visuals of hapless migrant workers walking away from big cities towards inter-state borders undermines the collective resolve evident during the Prime Ministers call for a one-day Janata Curfew. The lockdown was meant to avoid hospitals getting overwhelmed and to buy time for bolstering healthcare capacities. But mismanagement is producing a huge humanitarian fallout with thousands of fatigued people walking home on empty stomachs. In hindsight, a limited-period repatriation could have been allowed before the lockdown was clamped.

The huge internal migration catching central and state governments napping doesnt present a reassuring sight. No less worrying is the hostile reception some migrants are receiving back home. With no end to such cascading troubles governments, district administrations, municipal bodies, panchayati raj institutions and police cannot rest easy by merely shepherding migrant labourers away from highways. They need to arrange adequate night shelters, community kitchens, public toilets, fever clinics, and make good the promise to deliver free rations.

Economic relief packages by Centre and state need to set aside funds for such wayside facilities lest welfare schemes elude migrant workers. Some chief ministers are coming to the fore by taking up leadership of lockdown measures. The lockdowns chaos is also a warning to the Centre to take states into confidence before announcements with national implications. India is too big a country and diktats from Delhi need to factor in ground realities in the states too. As the lockdown nears a week, all official functionaries from the Prime Minister and chief ministers down to district magistrates must communicate more frequently and effectively with citizens to avert panic and build confidence and trust in government.

This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.

Read more:
Indias long march: A humanitarian crisis has come to the fore with migrant workers fleeing lockdown on foot - Economic Times

Bosnian Security Minister Fahrudin Radoncic commented about the migrant crisis, stating that Bosnia and Herzegovina is maximum responsible when it comes to humanitarian part, and sent a message to people who are worrying about the status of illegal migrants to put a pressure on governments of European countries to accept them, Srna reports.

I have free-of-charge advice for all people worrying about the status of illegal migrants pressure on governments of European countries to accept migrants and demonstrate much more solidarity, Radoncic told Srna commenting on the writing of the British Guardian about Bosnias attitude towards migrants.

Radoncic has said that illegal migrants did not come to BiH to stay but are on their way to Western European countries.

The British Guardian wrote about two crises that hit BiH, the migrants and the coronavirus, saying that the fear from infection led to urgent measures and relocation of those people to tents in a remote camp Lipa, which does not guarantee safe life, reports the Klix internet portal.

The paper saw a document in which the city of Bihac civil defense headquarters asked that the move be carried out in order to take urgent measures to prevent the onset of the disease caused by Covid-19., The Srpska Times reports.

The paper says that the setting up of a camp in Lipa, a village about 25 km from the border with Croatia, started a few days ago, prompting panic among asylum seekers and volunteers, who fear the measure will not guarantee any assistance to migrants.

The paper says that among the main problems is the concern over access to water, heat and electricity, as well as a feeling that the move marks a further deterioration in their living conditions.

The British paper says, among other things, that the decision to move migrants to Lipa has sparked a row in the country, with representatives of Serbs, who returned to Bosnias Federation entity after fleeing during the war, complaining that the Muslim migrants living in the new tent camp near the village could be a threat to their livelihoods.

See the article here:
Security Minister claims Bosnia and Herzegovina is maximally responsible when it comes to Migrants - Sarajevo Times

Coronavirus putting increasing strain on specialist domestic abuse services which are falling apart at the seams and already having to close doors

Domestic abuse services and human rights organisations call for emergency protections for migrant women, as Home Secretary vows she will not let down victims of domestic abuse amid crisis

At a time when safety and healthcare is what we all need, migrant women victims of domestic abuse are denied these fundamental lifelines open letter to the Home Secretary

More than 20 BME specialist frontline services, migrant and human rights organisations in the UK have written an open letter to the Home Secretary calling for emergency support to help migrant victims of domestic abuse amidst the Covid-19 crisis.

The letter - organised by the Latin American Womens Rights Service and Amnesty International UK - expresses concern for the impact the current health emergency is having on domestic abuse cases, as self-isolation inevitably leads to an increase in violence.

It comes a day after the Home Secretarys comments in a national newspaper which clarified that domestic abuse victims are allowed to leave home to seek help at refuges despite measures put in place to stop Covid-19 spreading. The Home Secretary also made a pledge "to every potential victim: we have not forgotten you and we will not let you down.

Despite this, the Government has not provided any additional funds or resources to help frontline services cope with the additional strain during the health crisis. The organisations warn that the Home Secretarys guarantee doesnt go far enough to support women with an insecure immigration status, who often dont have access to public funds and therefore dont qualify for refuge beds.

Four in five migrant women are turned away from refuges, and they are often too scared to seek healthcare. At the same time, migrant women are prevented from reporting domestic abuse to the police or other statutory services as perpetrators threat them with deportation.

Domestic abuse services falling apart at the seams

The letter warns that refuges and counselling services are at full capacity and are falling apart at the seams, with most services already having to close doors to protect staff and the people we support.

The organisations are urging the Government to protect the many victims of this horrendous crime, no matter what their immigration status, including by:

Full letter and signatories:

Dear Secretary of State,

At a time when safety and healthcare is what we all need, migrant women victims of domestic abuse are denied these fundamental lifelines

The Step Up Migrant Women campaign - a coalition of more than 40 BME and migrant specialist frontline services, domestic abuse services, social justice and human rights organisations, led by the Latin American Womens Rights Service - are writing to urge you to establish an emergency national strategy that ensures migrant victims of domestic abuse can access the support they need in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We understand that self-isolating, social distancing and staying at home are necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect each other. But whilst home is often seen as a sanctuary, for many it is a place of hostility, violence and danger. For that reason, we are concerned about evidence showing increasing numbers of domestic abuse cases due to quarantine emergency measures.

Domestic abuse affects roughly two million people a year in the UK, the majority of whom are women. For those who experience violence at home, the prospect of self-isolating of being locked in with your abuser is terrifying beyond belief. And for those who cannot access the support they need those who do not qualify for spaces in refuges, and those who are too scared to seek healthcare or call the police for help the situation can be unbearable.

Many women with insecure immigration status do not have access to public funds so are often blocked from accessing safety and the support they need four in five are, for instance, turned away from refuges. They are reluctant to go to the doctor or hospital if they are worried about their health, because they are scared they will be reported to immigration enforcement. At the same time, migrant women are prevented from reporting domestic abuse to the police or other statutory services since perpetrators use immigration status as a tool of coercive control threatening them with detention, deportation, destitution or separation from their children.

Over the next few months, the situation is only going to get worse. Evidence from China and Italy is emerging that the COVID-19 crisis will exacerbate domestic abuse. More and more people will rely on frontline domestic abuse services, on refuges and counselling services. But these services are already at full capacity and are falling apart at the seams. Most of us are already having to close our doors to protect our staff and the people we support. We are working endless hours to put our services online, and to make sure we are able to carry on providing women with lifesaving advice and counselling services. However, we are worried that the vulnerability of migrant women may increase since specialist BME and migrant services are experiencing shrinking capacity due the lack of face-to-face support as a consequence of the virus outbreak.

We are in a crisis, and we need the Government to urgently act to protect the many victims of these horrendous crimes. For all the reasons above we are joining with the voices of other BME, migrant and social justice organisations and the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector - who are working together to set out what the government must do to protect all victims. From the Step Up Migrant Women coalition we calling on the government to:

The Step Up Migrant Women coalition is calling on the Government to ensure that victims are treated as victims first by prioritising their safety before their immigration status

Yours sincerely,

1. Abi Brunswick, Director, Project 17

2. Asfah Kosir, Immigration adviser, Kiran Support Services

3. Baljit Banga, Director, Imkaan

4. Clare Collier, Advocacy Director, Liberty

5. Daf Viney, Director of Services at Hackney Migrant Centre

6. Elizabeth Jimnez-Yez, Coordinator, Step Up Migrant Women Campaign

7. Fiona Dwyer, Chief Executive, Solace

8. Fizza Qureshi- CEO, Migrants' Rights Network

9. Gisela Valle, Director, Latin American Womens Rights Services

10. Halaleh Taheri, Executive Director, MEWSo

11. Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive, Agenda

12. Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK

13. Katie Richards, Trustee, Refugee Womens Centre

14. Lucila Granada, Director, FLEX

15. Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, Womens Budget Group

16. Natasha Walter and Marchu Girma, Directors, Women for Refugee Women

17. Nicki Norman, Acting Co-Chief Executive, Womens Aid Federation of England

18. Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, Chief Executive, Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA)

19. Pragna Patel, Director, Southall Black Sisters

20. Rena Sodhi, Director, London Black Womens Project

21. Rosa dos Ventos Lopes Heimer, Policy Coordinator, Latin American Womens Aid

22. Rosalind Bragg, Director, Maternity Action

23. Sarah Green, Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition

24. Satbir Singh, Chief Executive, JCWI

25. Sawsan Salim, Director, KMEWO

26. Vicky Marsh, Advocacy & Support Worker, Safety4Sisters

27. Vivienne Hayes, CEO, Womens Resource Centre

28. Umme Imam, Executive Director, The Angelou Centre

See more here:
Domestic abuse services call for urgent support for migrant victims blocked from safety, healthcare and refuges - Amnesty International UK