• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

As COVID-19 Lingers, Wealthy Nations Must Not Abandon Migrants

Maria DeJesus by Maria DeJesus
12/21/21
in Opinion
Humanitarian worker places a face mask on a child refugee during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Humanitarian worker places a face mask on a child refugee during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

With no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable and desperate migrants are being socially excluded or abandoned to sickness and death within some of the wealthiest nations on Earth.

The social exclusion of migrants threatens local and global efforts to successfully control the spread of this transmissible disease both within and across borders. 

As a scholar who studies global health inequities, I have documented how migrants have suffered the worst health, social, and economic consequences of COVID-19 in Europe and the United States. France is a case in point.

Migrants in France

In 2020, my colleagues and I interviewed and surveyed hundreds of migrants in France, most of them men from African countries and Afghanistan, who are waiting for their asylum cases to be adjudicated by the French authorities. 

We assessed the impact of the pandemic and a nationwide lockdown on their lives and livelihoods, and how the treatment of migrants impacted France’s efforts to control the spread of COVID-19.

Our participants had a median age of 26, and most had only an elementary or secondary school education. They told us that their sub-standard living and sanitary conditions made them unable to follow the most basic COVID-19 protocols. Pseudonyms are used for confidentiality purposes.

Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Vulnerability

Fadjibma, a migrant from Guinea, reported, “It is practically impossible to follow the social distancing rule. We live in a small physical space, and it is overcrowded.” 

Mariame from Mali shared that she had to take public transportation to get to the “stores that sell food more cheaply” and that there were days when she had to go hungry due to a lack of money to buy food or a tram ticket. Not having money meant she was also not able to buy masks and hand sanitizers to protect herself from getting sick.

Many migrants also told us that they experience social isolation, loneliness, and vulnerability. 

Seydou, another migrant from Mali who had been living in a tight container with two other men for the last seven months, shared, “If one of us gets sick, what will happen to the rest of us? Where will we go? Where will they put us? Who will help us? Many of us are here alone with no one to help us if we get sick.”

When they do begin showing symptoms of infection, many of the migrants, fearing arrest and deportation as “sans-papiers” or undocumented individuals, do not leave their crowded quarters to obtain a COVID-19 test or to seek treatment.

“Without my papers, I am excluded. I am afraid of going outside. I could get stopped. I am scared of getting deported,” said Mohamed, a recent migrant from Congo.

With government offices shut down due to the lockdown, many of the migrants were in limbo.

Tabish, an Afghan man reflected: “When will my asylum application be processed? I have been waiting for 13 months already and now, there will be even more of a backlog of applications. I feel even less confident about my future.”

To control the COVID-19 pandemic, migrants must not be left behind.

Helping Refugees and Migrants During the Pandemic

How can France and other wealthy host nations, including the United States, assist these desperate men and their families who are living in precarious situations? 

First, any national plan for mitigating the infectious disease must specifically include refugees and migrants.

Second, migrants must have immediate access to safe living conditions and cost-free health care, including vaccination, testing, and new therapeutics. 

Third, migrants must no longer be invisible. Public-health agencies must report COVID-19 data that is broken down by country of birth, migration status, and self-reported race and ethnicity to ensure that services are available to the people who need it the most – and who can least afford to pay for it.

In addition, public health messaging and interventions must be adapted to the specific linguistic, cultural, and social circumstances of migrants to effectively prevent transmission within and beyond these communities. 

And, finally, we need to address the social determinants of health that disproportionately impact migrants in every aspect of their physical, mental, and social well-being, far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the world enters the third year of this pandemic, we must engineer a global response that includes migrants. In our interdependent world, “no one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
ShareTweet
Maria DeJesus

Maria DeJesus

Associate professor at American University’s School of International Service

Related Posts

A noose is seen on makeshift gallows as supporters of US President Donald Trump gather on the West side of the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021
National

Militia Leader Gets 18 Years in Prison Over US Capitol Attack

by Staff Writer
May 26, 2023
A billboard showing the debt limit is seen in Washington, D.C.
National

US Republicans Upbeat on Prospects for Debt Deal

by Staff Writer
May 19, 2023
Military hardware rolls through Dvortsovaya Square during a Victory Day military parade in central Saint Petersburg
National

Pressing Russia, US Shares Nuclear Warhead Data Under Treaty

by Staff Writer
May 16, 2023
A man holding a gun
Opinion

The NRA’s Continuing Agenda of Fear

by Stephen J. Lyons
May 12, 2023
US Panel Recommends Nonprescription Use of Contraception Pill
National

US Panel Recommends Nonprescription Use of Contraception Pill

by Staff Writer
May 11, 2023
A laptop screen showing ChatGPT
National

Scientists Use Brain Scans and AI to ‘Decode’ Thoughts

by Staff Writer
May 1, 2023
Next Post
Yemen

UN Agency Says to Cut Food Aid to Yemen Due to Lack of Funds

Desmond Tutu commemoration

World Mourns Anti-Apartheid Icon Tutu, 'Warrior for Justice'

Recommended

A noose is seen on makeshift gallows as supporters of US President Donald Trump gather on the West side of the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021

Militia Leader Gets 18 Years in Prison Over US Capitol Attack

May 26, 2023
Customers queue to enter a re-opened Zara clothes shop

EU Targets Fast Fashion in Push for Durable Goods

May 23, 2023
A billboard showing the debt limit is seen in Washington, D.C.

US Republicans Upbeat on Prospects for Debt Deal

May 19, 2023
Military hardware rolls through Dvortsovaya Square during a Victory Day military parade in central Saint Petersburg

Pressing Russia, US Shares Nuclear Warhead Data Under Treaty

May 16, 2023
A man holding a gun

The NRA’s Continuing Agenda of Fear

May 12, 2023
US Panel Recommends Nonprescription Use of Contraception Pill

US Panel Recommends Nonprescription Use of Contraception Pill

May 11, 2023

Opinion

A man holding a gun

The NRA’s Continuing Agenda of Fear

May 12, 2023
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

A Supreme Folly 

April 24, 2023
Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters in Times Square near a military recruitment centre

Tennessee Is A Drag on the First Amendment

March 26, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

March 15, 2023
An earthquake survivor reacts as rescuers look for victims and other survivors in Hatay, a Turkish province where hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake

Heed the Call of Our Broken World

March 1, 2023
Top view of the US House of Representatives

‘Cringy Awards:’ Who Is the Most Embarrassing US House Representative?

February 13, 2023
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post