• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Thursday, May 26, 2022
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 man holding a gun
Featured

Safely Back in USA, Land of Guns and Burgers

by Stephen J. Lyons
May 2, 2022
European Medicines Agency
World

EU Watchdog Approves Second Covid Booster for Over 80s

by Staff Writer
April 6, 2022
Ukraine war
Opinion

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis and the Hierarchies of Western Compassion

by Tazreena Sajjad
April 20, 2022
Ukraine refugees
Refugees

Nearly 3.7 Million People Flee Ukraine, UN Says

by Staff Writer
March 24, 2022
Dollar bills held against a world map
Opinion

The Global Tax Won’t Fix Historically High Inequality, It Will Make It Worse

by Benjamin Waddell
February 21, 2022
French soldiers in Mali
World

Mali Asks France to Pull Out Troops ‘Without Delay’

by Staff Writer
February 18, 2022
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

The Onion

‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens’

May 25, 2022
police line

Teen Gunman Kills 15 at Texas Elementary School

May 24, 2022
refugees

More Than 100 Million People Forcibly Displaced, UN Says

May 23, 2022
Volkswagen logo

German Farmer Sues Volkswagen Over CO2 Emissions

May 20, 2022
Vladimir Putin

Russia Says Economy Grew 3.5 Percent in First Quarter

May 18, 2022
Mexico missing people

Over 100,000 People Reported Missing in Mexico, Data Reveals

May 17, 2022

Opinion

A Lebanese election official stands at a polling station

New Group Threatens Lebanese Elections… and Potentially Middle East Peace

May 18, 2022
A man holding a gun

Safely Back in USA, Land of Guns and Burgers

May 2, 2022
China Muslim Uyghurs

Unfair Politicization, Corruption, and the Death of Modern Olympism

April 23, 2022
Ukraine war

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis and the Hierarchies of Western Compassion

April 20, 2022
Chinese leader Xi Jinping

How Wrong ‘How China Can End the War in Ukraine’ Is

April 1, 2022
Ukraine children

The War for Ukraine’s Lives and Minds

March 30, 2022
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