The Sunday Mail
THE International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has become a key partner to Zimbabwe’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last year, the IOM has collaborated with Government to device and implement measures to help minimise the impact of the pandemic on migrant returnees. The Sunday Mail spoke to IOM Zimbabwe’s chief of mission Mario Lito Malanca on the multilateral organisation’s response programmes since the outbreak of the pandemic.
***
Q: What assistance have you been providing to migrants that have returned to Zimbabwe after being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
A: IOM has presence at eight Points of Entry (PoE), namely Beitbridge, Plumtree, Chirundu, Forbes, Nyamapanda, Sango, Kariba, Kazungula, to respond to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on migrant returnees.
Critical multi-layered information on the mobility, vulnerabilities and needs of migrant returnees has been constantly captured, consolidated and disseminated to the wide range of humanitarian stakeholders.
This is done through IOM’s information management system called Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).
IOM supported the Ministry of Health and Child Care to develop PoE Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Covid-19 detection, notification, isolation, case management and referral, as well as on capacity building of approximately 160 frontline officials (immigration and border/port health staff) on the SOPs to manage ill travellers and on Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC).
Eight isolation centres were set up at the eight PoEs and 17 dedicated nurses were hired to support with health screening, referral, registration and provision of basic health care for returnees.
To date, 716 migrants and frontline officers have benefited from Mental Health and Psychosocial Services (MHPSS) provided in collaboration with Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare at border level.
Since March 2020, 170 966 migrants have arrived in Zimbabwe.
Once discharged from quarantine/isolation facilities, returnees have been assisted through the provision of 786 non-food items kits, 963 hygiene kits, 707 menstrual and hygiene management kits and over 6 200 migrants have been provided onward transportation between borders and their communities of destination.
As a way of mitigating the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, reintegration support is also provided in the form of cash or in-kind assistance after beneficiary assessments are conducted.
Q: What are the most common challenges faced by these returnees?
A: Thousands of migrants continue to be stranded due to containment polices and face extremely precarious conditions.
Furthermore, due to travel restrictions and border closures, some are also unable to return to their home countries.
They also face heightened vulnerabilities to Covid-19, as physical distancing is not possible in often-crowded migrant shelters and many must attempt to make a living in informal sectors, including street vending, or resort to begging.
Obstacles such as mobility restrictions, mistrust towards local authorities, xenophobia and discrimination reinforce the vulnerability of migrants in this current pandemic.
Most migrants were heavily impacted by Covid-19 within the host countries due to loss of jobs and sources of livelihoods following containment measures introduced by governments.
Migrants also have limited or no access to local relief packages within the host countries, which mostly target citizens.
As a result, many migrants had no choice but return to their countries of origin.
It is important to note that migrants continue to be involuntarily returned from other countries by host authorities mainly for immigration offences.
These migrants are held in detention facilities awaiting due processes for them to be sent back.
They often have no access to Covid-19 testing facilities besides the heightened risk of exposure within the holding facilities.
Upon arrival in the country, most migrants indicate that they have no means to sustain their stay and reintegration into their communities of origin due to limited livelihoods options.
Most are returning unprepared after having been away for extended periods of time.
Q: How many returnees have you assisted since the pandemic started?
A: IOM’s Covid-19 emergency response has reached 170 966 beneficiaries (55 percent males, 43 percent females, 1 percent male minors and 1 percent female minors).
Assistance has been through the different pillars (Coordination and Partnership, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, disease surveillance, Points of Entry — PoE, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Reintegration Assistance).
Q: Has the pandemic had an effect on incidences of human trafficking cases?
A: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it its own set of problems and increased vulnerabilities.
The current crisis has exacerbated pre-existing trafficking trends and risk factors, as well as given rise to new ones as traffickers capitalise on the widespread human, material, social and economic losses caused by Covid-19.
Loss of employment, restricted access to essential services and restrictions on freedom of movement places significant added stress on the family unit causing loss or reduction in the household income.
This results in the use of negative coping mechanisms such as increased engagement of children in exploitative labour and trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage.
Covid-19 has also disrupted the referral mechanism, making the task of identifying victims of human trafficking more difficult.
The unprecedented measures adopted to flatten the infection curve, including enforced quarantine, curfews and lockdowns, travel restrictions, and limitations on economic activities and public life may also drive human trafficking further underground.
As a result, the identification of victims and subsequent referral to protection schemes becomes more challenging.
We continue to see cases coming from the usual countries of destination, South Africa and Botswana as well as new destinations like Uganda, Iraq, Oman and Kenya.
In addition, media reports point to a surge in cases of internal trafficking mainly for the purpose of sexual exploitation of girls particularly in mining areas.
In the coming months, IOM will conduct field research in areas of high irregular migration movements and other identified hotspots for trafficking with the aim of understanding the shifts in trafficking dynamics due to Covid-19.
The research will analyse the impacts on women, children and youths, as well as the evolving routes, stakeholders, modus operandi, as well as needs and vulnerabilities of populations of focus.
Q: What assistance are you offering to victims of human trafficking?
A: IOM’s core work on countering human trafficking includes the identification, referral and protection of trafficked victims and migrants in situations of vulnerability.
IOM has been supporting the Government of Zimbabwe and local Non-Governmental Organisations to provide comprehensive direct assistance to victims of trafficking including temporary shelter, repatriation, medical, mental health and psychosocial support services, as well as income generating support.
The goal to support individuals to successfully reintegrate into society and to mitigate the risks of being re-trafficked.
In addition, IOM works with various partners to raise awareness on the issue of trafficking among stakeholders and the general populace.
The goal is to prevent trafficking before it occurs.
We have seen these efforts bearing fruit as people contact IOM for verification of job or scholarship offers before commitment.
Q: Can you give some examples of any latest human traffic cases and the assistance you have rendered?
A: Trafficking in Person (TIP) issues gained national prominence in 2016 with the Kuwait case being massively reported in the media when over 200 women were trafficked to Kuwait for labour and sexual exploitation.
IOM collaborated with the Government of Zimbabwe by assisting some of the victims with reintegration grants to start income generating projects.
Apart from the Kuwait cases, IOM continues to receive referral cases from other countries such as China, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria and other countries in the Middle East.
There is also a growing trend of internal trafficking cases being observed, particularly involving the trafficking of girls from rural areas for the purpose of forced labour and sexual exploitation.
IOM continues to provide protection assistance to all identified victims of trafficking and assistance offered is tailored to the needs of the individual (victim-centered approach) while at the same time respecting the human rights of the individual.
Q: This year’s heavy rains have resulted in increased incidences of natural disasters such as flooding in many low lying areas. What sort of assistance is the IOM providing to communities affected by these disasters?
A: IOM is currently implementing a transitional shelter construction project targeting 624 totally and partially destroyed households in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts.
A Disaster Risk Management (DRM) component is in place to ensure and increase resilience in the communities strengthen preparedness in case of disaster.
The ongoing above to normal rainy season is placing additional shelter gaps to already affected communities, increasing vulnerabilities and creating secondary displacements.
As the shelter cluster lead, IOM is coordinating emergency support among partners and constantly advocating for funding support.
