WALK FREE FOUNDATION : PROTECTING PEOPLE IN A PANDEMIC REPORT

This pub­li­ca­tion exam­ines key risks that COVID-19 presents for migrant and oth­er vul­ner­a­ble work­ers. The report pro­vides prac­ti­cal guid­ance and cur­rent exam­ples of mea­sures that busi­ness and gov­ern­ment can take to mit­i­gate those risks. The report is informed by a rapid assess­ment of imme­di­ate COVID-relat­ed risks, respons­es, and rec­om­men­da­tions iden­ti­fied by civ­il soci­ety, inter­na­tion­al organ­i­sa­tions, busi­ness and indus­try groups, and work­er rights’ networks.

Mil­lions of vul­ner­a­ble work­ers do not have access to COVID-19 test­ing, health care, sick leave or the phys­i­cal or finan­cial abil­i­ty to iso­late. Many have lost jobs and are strand­ed over­seas, unable to sup­port them­selves or return home due to lock­downs and trav­el restric­tions. The com­bi­na­tion of these health, safe­ty and eco­nom­ic risks cre­ates the per­fect storm for exploita­tion, human traf­fick­ing and mod­ern slav­ery to flourish.