How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Most Vulnerable Communities in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly everyone in the world in one way or another. However, the virus has impacted vulnerable and marginalized communities the most. With large populations of migrant workers, impoverished, and homeless, India’s vulnerable communities have been struggling even more during the country’s second wave of the virus. Here’s how COVID-19 is affecting the most vulnerable communities in India:

• Livelihood and Transportation. Many of India’s vulnerable communities are impoverished and surviving on small amounts of money. The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent government shutdowns have left many of these populations, already struggling for survival, without any options for work or earning a living.
  
  Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s government shutdown left many businesses and industries shuddered, leading to many unemployed workers. The shutdown also stopped many vital services in the country in order to slow the spread of the disease. Transportation services like buses and trains were halted and left many citizens stranded. This was especially true for migrant workers who traveled from rural areas into cities for work. Many of them were left stranded in cities for months, away from their families, and had to resort to taking out loans to pay for food and housing.
  
  After India’s first wave and government shutdown, migrant workers began returning to cities to work and make up for what they had lost due to the pandemic. After being back for just a few months, India’s second wave of the virus hit even harder than the first, leaving communities like migrant workers with a difficult decision: do I go home early and give up my job in case transportation is shut down again, or do I stay here and keep earning money while I can, with the risk of getting stranded in the city again?
  
  
• Food, Water, and Hygiene. Another issue for vulnerable communities is access to food, water, and proper hygiene. Many of the impoverished people in India, including most of the country’s 40 million internal migrant workers, live in slums without proper sanitation facilities, access to clean water, or soap and sanitizers necessary to stay safe during the pandemic. Additionally, the lack of access to health facilities has disproportionately affected these vulnerable communities, making it harder for them to access oxygen, ventilators, and other treatments if they do contract the virus.
  

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) advocates for the rights of all uprooted people, including impoverished and homeless migrant workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in India. We’re working with local Catholic churches to spread accurate information about the virus and accelerate the government’s vaccination program. Our other efforts include: supporting survivors of sexual or gender-based violence,fostering the integration of migrant survivors of human trafficking, working for better protection of labor migrants, and championing the causes of these often unseen people deprived of basic rights. We need your help to achieve our goals. Visit our website and learn how you can help end this humanitarian crisis.