Humanitarian consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for migrants and refugees
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of
the Assembly, on 13 October 2020 (see Doc. 15142, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and
Displaced Persons, rapporteur: Mr Pierre-Alain Fridez).
1. On 11 March 2020, the World Health
Organization declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic, bringing much
of the world to a halt, closing national borders and restricting
freedom of movement. Everyone has been affected, but vulnerable
groups – such as migrants, refugees and asylum seekers – are often
the first to suffer and are doubly affected in situations of crisis.
2. Tens of millions of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
have been stranded or sorely affected due to travel restrictions
and their inability to return to their home countries or countries
where they reside or work. Many have found themselves in a precarious
economic situation, losing their incomes and jobs and being forced
to use the money they had saved. There has also been a resurgence
of discrimination and intolerance partly due to unjustified fears
that foreigners spread disease and, in economically challenging
times, take away jobs from the host population.
3. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have faced many additional
problems: the closing of borders has led to new irregular migration
movements, with even longer and more perilous journeys at a time
when search and rescue at sea has been curtailed, the risk of “pushbacks”
has increased and disembarkation has become a bone of political
contention. Irregular migrants and asylum seekers have also had
to face prolonged periods of detention in cramped conditions, with
a severe risk of rampant spread of the disease. There has been a
build-up in the backlog of asylum and other claims to be processed;
education for children, already often sub-par, has often been put
on hold; and women and children have become even more vulnerable
to domestic violence while living in complicated and stressful situations.
4. It is certain that member States of the Council of Europe,
like all other countries, are struggling to meet the burden of healthcare
and the prevailing economic recession; under these circumstances,
migrants, refugees and asylum seekers will not necessarily be considered
a high priority. However, many member States rely heavily on migrants,
including cross-border and seasonal workers, to do essential jobs
in healthcare, agriculture, sanitation, transportation, etc.
5. Countries of origin of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers,
including those on Europe’s frontiers, were initially less affected
by the pandemic, but this situation is changing and will have consequences
for member States of the Council of Europe. The evolving economic
crisis will hit countries of origin harder than Europe’s comparatively
stable economies, which benefit from widely available healthcare
and social support. In African countries, the lack of access to
health services and social benefits, combined with the economic downturn,
will have significant negative consequences. These countries will
also face reduced foreign investment and development assistance,
and migrant remittances will drop by 23% in 2020 according to the World
Bank. All of this will create significant additional migratory pressures
and migration management issues for countries of origin, transit
and destination.
6. On a more positive note, the first six months of the pandemic
have illustrated that even during the Covid-19 crisis it has, to
a large extent, been possible to provide humanitarian assistance
to those in need. Furthermore, many refugee camps have been able
to check the spread of the virus, despite the often highly cramped
conditions, although there is unfortunately an increasing number
of new outbreaks being reported. Organisations on the ground have
shown that activities such as screening and registration of asylum
seekers can continue, provided that appropriate preventative measures
are applied. Furthermore, some of the exceptional measures taken
by member States during the pandemic, such as regularisation programmes, release
from migration detention or broader employment possibilities for
migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, have shown that migration
management can be carried out under less restrictive conditions.
This is something that the Parliamentary Assembly has sought to
underline for many years.
7. Without a vaccine or a cure for the virus, it is important
to learn from the experience acquired so far. It is in this context
that the Assembly recommends that member States:
7.1 do not succumb to a fortress
mentality and recognise that Covid-19, as well as migration and asylum
is a global phenomenon, and that responses and solutions need to
be found at both national and international levels;
7.2 continue including the special needs of migrants, refugees
and asylum seekers in national Covid-19 emergency response plans,
even if national budgets are stretched;
7.3 continue to implement the Global Compact on Refugees,
notwithstanding the pandemic, and abide by commitments made at the
Global Refugee Forum to support refugees and others of concern to the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), along with
host countries and communities;
7.4 apply its
Resolution
2329 (2020) on lessons for the future from an effective
and rights-based response to the Covid-19 pandemic to migrants,
refugees and asylum seekers.
8. In relation to migrants in general, the Assembly recommends
that member States:
8.1 keep their
borders open and lift unnecessary travel restrictions;
8.2 recognise the value of migrant workers, including seasonal
and cross-border workers, as an essential part of the workforce
that ensures essential services in healthcare, agriculture, sanitation, transportation,
etc.;
8.3 implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration, which provides an effective framework for international
co-operation on the governance of international migration and its impact
on migrants;
8.4 follow the guidance of the International Organization
for Migration for employers and businesses to enhance migrant worker
protection during the current health crisis.
9. Concerning refugees, asylum seekers and migrants where appropriate,
the Assembly recommends that member States:
9.1 show solidarity with front-line countries currently taking
the brunt of arrivals, and support relocation efforts wherever possible;
9.2 take into account and promote the UNHCR’s Practical Recommendations
and Good Practice to Address Protection Concerns in the Context
of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and in particular:
9.2.1 ensure
access to their territory while protecting public health through
medical screening, testing and quarantine. Where entry bans or border
closures are implemented, consider an explicit exemption for asylum
seekers, combined with enhanced health measures;
9.2.2 continue providing adequate reception conditions, adapting
them as necessary to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19;
9.2.3 maintain systems of registration and documentation. This
is particularly important for identification of those who are most
vulnerable, including women and children, the elderly and victims
of violence and trafficking. Also, allow for extended deadlines
and flexibility in procedures where necessary;
9.2.4 prevent transmission of Covid-19 during the reception
and detention processes by avoiding detention where possible, taking
into account that alternatives often exist, evaluating the size
and layout of camps in the context of a risk analysis and shifting
to independent private accommodation or smaller collective centres,
if at all possible;
9.2.5 continue to provide avenues for asylum and adapt asylum
procedures where necessary, allowing for remote interviews and flexible
deadlines;
9.2.6 include migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in efforts
to educate and inform about the risks relating to Covid-19;
9.2.7 prioritise communication with and between migrants, asylum
seekers and refugees, taking into account that information can be
lifesaving;
9.3 in relation to irregular migrants, suspend forced returns
and returns that are not strictly voluntary in nature, so as to
prevent the spread of the virus;
9.4 pay particular attention to the needs of children, especially
regarding education, taking into account the lack of access to online
learning for many in camps or other settings: unaccompanied minors have
to be relocated as soon as possible;
9.5 take measures to preserve family unity and prevent family
separation, as long as they do not endanger the health and safety
of family members. Furthermore, all possible steps should be taken
to protect people from going missing as a result of Covid-19. These
steps should include systematic registration of admissions in health
facilities and facilitating communication between family members that
have been separated;
9.6 pay attention to preventing domestic and other violence
and protecting those who may be vulnerable during lockdowns and
restrictive periods.
10. The Assembly recommends that member States show greater solidarity
towards developing countries in the global context of the Covid-19
pandemic and its consequences for migration management and asylum. They
should:
10.1 consider possible cancellation,
reduction or restructuring of the national debts of developing countries;
10.2 maintain or increase development co-operation, accompanied
by improved audit mechanisms on the use of public finances in beneficiary
countries;
10.3 implement measures to simplify the transfer of remittances
by diasporas to developing countries as a direct means of assistance.
11. The Assembly recommends that member States show greater solidarity
among themselves and refrain from using migrants, asylum seekers
and refugees as political pawns. In the context of arrivals by land
and sea, they should stop “pushbacks”, prevent violence at borders
and ensure that “boat people” are promptly disembarked at ports
without international haggling and negotiation.
12. The Assembly invites the European Union, in the context of
the pandemic, to promote solidarity among member States, provide
more financial assistance globally, preserve access to the asylum
process and expand and improve regular migration pathways.
13. The Assembly invites national parliaments to look not only
at the impact of Covid-19 on their own countries, but also to have
a perspective of its impact on developing countries – including
countries of origin of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers – and
respond accordingly for the benefit of everyone’s future.
