Declaration on the International Migration Day 2022

Migrants in a boat.

On the International Migrants Day, MAIN (Migrant Assistance and Information Network) calls to: Recognise, Empower and Support Distressed Migrant Workers!

While welcoming the signing of the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, MAIN recognises that more needs to be done to develop a common framework for a "Life With Dignity for All Migrant Workers".

We recognise that migration, especially distress migration, is due to various factors including socio-economic challenges, extreme poverty, disasters, climate change, and conflicts in our society.

We recognise that majority of the migrant workforce in India are concentrated in the unorganised, informal sector.

We do recognise that migration and migrants have brought benefits in plenty, enriching  our lives and livelihood in numerous ways, and migrants play a critical role towards the economic growth of not only our cities, but also our villages.

We stand by our determination to resist any attempts at criminalisation of migrant workers, their children and families, individually and collectively, where ever they are.

As a national network working with distressed migrants across India, we call upon all governments––national and states––and policy makers, including in the private sector, at various levels to:

1) Respect, protect and promote the rights of all migrant workers at their workplace; 

2) Provide adequate information on access to services, and access to justice mechanisms must be expedited, accessible, affordable and efficient;

3) Provide information on all schemes and programmes, particularly on sustainable livelihood, available and accessible to all migrant workers;

4) Address the real concerns of distressed migrant workers by tackling poverty, insecurity and social exclusion with appropriate policies and schemes for decent jobs, decent wages, social security and protection measures, and social justice respecting democratic coexistence in diversity and pluralism;

5) Ensure mandatory registration of all migrant workers, both at source and destination states, and strengthen data systems to design effective targeted interventions for distressed migrants;

6) Ensure all policies, schemes and programmes are gender-responsive and child-sensitive. Women's participation should be ensured not only in design, but also in implementation of such policies, schemes and programmes;

7) Strengthen efforts in disseminating information up to the most remote and rural areas in the country so that potential migrant workers, mostly women, are saved from trafficking and being put into precarious and vulnerable situations;

8) Ensure accountability of Labour Commissioners by establishing a tripartite monitoring mechanism (with government, civil society and migrant workers' representative) 

9) Ensure food security and provide adequate housing, including shelters and rental housing in cities with access to creche facility, and healthcare, for migrant workers;

10) Facilitate the political participation of all migrant workers by ensuring their voting rights.

We, as MAIN, are committed to extend outreach to distressed migrants to strengthen their voices and achieve their rights and entitlements for a Life with Dignity. 

Migrant Assistance and Information Network (MAIN), Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003