The COVID-19 pandemic had the world at standstill and left everyone vulnerable, and exposed the deep cracks in the public health and governance systems across countries. It was initially viewed as an equalizer for its indiscriminate effect was far from being equal especially when the impacts on the marginal groups such as migrant workers unfolded. 

This webinar revisited the pandemic and its impact and drew lessons from it. The discussion was mostly around how migrant workers were disproportionately affected and how this also created the opportunity for activism, community care, and collaborative efforts. At the heart of the conversation was the concept of Just Recovery, an approach that keeps the migrant voices at the center and advocates for the recovery efforts that are equitable, accountable, and rooted in the lived realities of those most affected.

The pandemic highlighted what many already knew about the inequalities and vulnerabilities of the migrant workers, both at home and abroad. The pandemic had unique impacts upon them from being forced to stay at the unsafe quarantine facilities to denying rights of getting back to home, wage theft and abrupt contract terminations; this crisis intensified the precarity they were already living with. The response on the other hand was often dehumanizing. Blanket policies, ad hoc efforts  and inadequate support created a sense of abandonment. But even amidst hardship, there emerged powerful acts of resistance, care, and solidarity led by migrants themselves and supported by activists, researchers, and civil society.

Speakers:

Dr. Nimesh Dhungana Lecturer in Disasters & Global Health, Human Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester, and Lead Investigator in the LSE-AFSEE Project ‘Demanding a “Just Recovery” from Below’. 

Narayan Adhikari Country Director, Accountability Lab Nepal

Kripa Basnyat National Project Officer, ‘Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal’ (EWPN), International Labour Organisation, Nepal.

Flora Cornish Professor in Research Methodology, LSE.

Discussants:

Neha Choudhary, Technical Officer on Migration at the International Labour Organization in Ethiopia (previously at ILO Nepal) 

Dr Banhishikha Ghosh lecturer in Health & Social Care, University of Sunderland (London), 

Dr Nilanjan Sarkar is Deputy Director, LSE South Asia Centre.

Highlights of the Discussion 

Defining Just Recovery

The first speakers and the investigator explored how disasters including COVID-19 can act as critical windows of opportunity to reimagine governance and accountability. While the pandemic presented some unique challenges, many of its impacts mirrored those seen in past crises. However, for migrant workers, COVID-19 added and highlighted a deeper layer of injustice ranging from wage theft to severe violations of dignity.

The pandemic did witness the powerful moments of resistance, with youth and migrant workers stepping into activism, demanding government accountability, transparency, and a more dignified, inclusive approach to crisis management. The pandemic also fostered the collaboration between the migrant activists, the network of the migrants and even the government agencies to address the current crisis. The pandemic has emphasized on the need for a rights-based approach to disaster and migration governance; one that is grounded and adheres to the community demands.

This collaboration between the academician and the ALN aims to define the “Just Recovery” of the labor migrants  through the perspectives and experiences of labour migrants, youth activists and volunteers to understand the potential of grassroots activism in challenging intersecting inequalities facing labour migrants in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis in Nepal. It views the Just Recovery as  “Care” that highlights the role of both formal systems and informal networks in supporting migrant well-being; “Collaboration” reflects the dynamics between government institutions and grassroots or loosely connected support systems including the migrant networks and  “Confrontations” calls for challenging unjust narratives and demanding accountability.

At the heart of this research lies the value of inductive, co-produced knowledge, one that has emerged from the lived realities of migrants themselves, and that resonates beyond Nepal to global contexts. The concept of Just Recovery in this collaboration aims to capture what fair, dignified recovery looks like from the migrant perspective, driven by community voices and grassroot activism that is central in pushing for transparency, inclusion, and lasting systemic change. 

The Monolith view of the ‘Migrant’ workers

The pandemic has emphasized on the need to have a nuanced understanding of migrant workers. The pandemic starkly revealed how migrant workers are perceived and treated by the government, exposing deep-rooted disparities. Notably, there were two distinct groups; i) migrants migrating to India who are often undocumented and untracked and ii) migrants migrating to countries beyond India. Each of these groups face unique vulnerabilities and challenges throughout their migration journeys and in the course of rehabilitation. Yet, these differences are often overlooked in government policies and planning, leading to responses that fail to address the diverse realities and needs of migrant workers. Furthermore, the migrant population as a whole rarely falls as the priority of the  nation’s policy priorities. This is evident from the pandemic response, which was neither sensitive nor inclusive which has only fostered a deep sense of abandonment and even the committee formed for the COVID management did not include any representing migrants.

Learning, and gaps 

Looking back at the pandemic and the broader collaboration process, there has been a lot of learnings across about the understanding of context, the response, perspectives and more.

One of the biggest takeaways was the paradox in how migrant workers were viewed. One who was once praised as “remittance heroes,” were scrutinized during the pandemic and unfairly treated as the disease carriers. Our assumption that the migrants would stay in the country after COVID was challenged as we saw many of them had returned abroad under risky and difficult conditions. At the local level, some representatives especially those with migrant backgrounds showed empathy and allocated budgets for support of the migrant workers. However, these budgets were not always used effectively.

Another learning has been the importance and the role the social media played during this time in helping to share important information and amplify migrant voices. It had become a space where communities came together to seek support and campaign for the rights of migrant workers. These experiences have influenced recent migration policies, including Nepal’s 16th Development Plan, which focuses on creating jobs within the country and better mobilization of Employment Service Centers at the local level. However, gaps remain in turning policies and plans into real action.

Scholar-Activists collaboration to centering the community voices and knowledge 

Accountability Lab Nepal, through its CivActs model has played a pivotal role as convener and amplifier in connecting community voices and concerns, even in times of crisis. ALN has adopted innovative approaches, be it mobilizing the local leaders or the storytelling methods to ensure that local perspectives are not only heard but acted upon. The real-time storytelling and feedback has the ability to influence policy and practice ALN drawing the lessons learnt during the earthquake response; it has adapted its model and response mechanisms and applied during the COVID-19 pandemic to effectively capture and connect community voices with relevant stakeholders. These efforts highlight the importance of community driven initiatives that foster grassroots engagement and activism.

Additionally, the collaboration between scholars and activists further strengthens this work as it provides academics with access to real-time narratives that enrich their research and archival efforts. While on the other hand ALN benefits from the consolidation of knowledge and added credibility. The partnership also ensures that insights gathered from the community are meaningfully disseminated back to community, bridging knowledge gaps and making research more accessible, relevant, and actionable. This partnership further extends and builds scope to inform broader resilience frameworks across sectors such as health, climate, and disaster preparedness.

Looking forward and beyond COVID

The conversations culminated in a collective call to action: to ensure that people’s voices guide recovery and reform not only during pandemics, but in all crises. Just Recovery is not a one-time framework that fits only to counter the issue of the migrant workers but one that can be adapted or scaled based on the context and needs of affected communities.

This collaborative model of scholar-activist partnership offers a replicable blueprint for other sectors including climate action to natural resource management. At its heart is a belief that research must be participatory, people-centered, and power-shifting. While we reflect on the pandemic or any other crisis it is necessary to look into the  scars that it has created in the trust between governments and citizens, between policies and people’s realities and work to rebuild it. The path toward a future not only has to be fast, but also just.

Find the full webinar: https://www.youtube.com/live/_vWVXHYiAnc?si=_Elwul-H1NlD5p-a