New Delhi (NVI): Amid the coronavirus pandemic, when several countries in the world are closing their borders, many refugees, especially those forcibly displaced, stateless and migrants are at heightened risk, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
At such a time, rights and health of refugees and migrants must be protected as “we can only defeat this virus when each and every one of us is protected,” says the UN body.
“Three-quarters of the world’s refugees and many migrants are hosted in developing regions where health systems are already overwhelmed and under-capacitated,” UNHCR said in a report.
Many live in overcrowded camps, settlements, makeshift shelters or reception centers, where they lack adequate access to health services, clean water, and sanitation.
The situation for refugees and migrants held in formal and informal places of detention, in cramped and unsanitary conditions are particularly worrying.
The UN Body has warned that such cramped spaces at refugee camps can be breeding grounds of the COVID-19 that has claimed thousands of lives so far. While considering the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak would have, they should be released without delay, it said.
Migrant children and their families and those detained without a sufficient legal basis should be immediately released, it added.
“Migrants and refugees are disproportionately vulnerable to exclusion, stigma, and discrimination, particularly when undocumented,” the UN body said adding that the disease can be controlled if an inclusive approach is adopted which protects every individual’s rights to life and health.
“To avert a catastrophe, governments must do all they can to protect the rights and the health of everyone. Protecting the rights and the health of all people will, in fact, help control the spread of the virus,” according to the human rights body.
All migrants and refugees must be ensured equal access to health services, the agency says adding that they must be effectively included in national responses to COVID-19, including prevention, testing, treatment.
This inclusion will help not only to protect the rights of refugees and migrants, but will also serve to protect public health and stem the global spread of COVID-19.
The UN Human Rights Agency has called upon all the countries to ensure that refugees and migrants get adequate access to national health services and additional financial support.
This is where the world’s financial institutions can play a leading role in making funds available, it stated.
The agency also suggested ways to manage border restrictions in a manner that respects international human rights and refugee protection standards, including the principle of non-refoulment, through quarantine and health checks.
As the world is fighting the COVID-10 menace on a war footing, the UNHCR has said that many refugees, displaced, stateless people and migrants can also be a part of the solution if their skills and resources are properly utilised, rather than ignoring them or closing doors on them.
