Jesuits support Indian
migrant workers
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| Indian migrant workers carrying their belongings on their way home |
Indian Jesuits, through a network of social centres, are
coming to the aid of migrant workers stranded by lockdown measures.
By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ
On 24 March, Indian authorities implemented an abrupt
nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak. Among other things, the
lockdown interrupted all transport and production activities in the country.
For approximately forty million people in India, mostly day
labourers, this precautionary measure means that they are left without work,
money or food. Many of them are even stranded in their places of work as they
could not go back home before the lockdown.
The government ran some special trains and buses to take
migrants back to their homes, but that move helped only an estimated 20,000
people. The Indian Railways announced on Sunday that it will gradually restart
passenger trains from Tuesday. But with a series of guidelines, such as online
ticket booking only and downloading the Covid-19 tracking mobile application,
many of these poor stranded migrants will not be able to make
it.
In view of this, Father David Solomon SJ of the Bagaicha
Social Centre in Ranchi, Jharkhand state, has launched an initiative in collaboration
with other charity organizations, to help migrant workers. In an
interview with Vatican News, the Jesuit priest explains the idea behind the
initiative
Situation of migrant workers
Fr. Solomon pointed out that in the past twenty years, there
has been a high rate of migration of tribal people towards western and southern
India. “Almost 400 million people have migrated towards well-developed cities,”
he added. “There, they become carpenters, construction labourers, painters, and
work in small factories” where they are poorly paid.
The migration situation has been exacerbated during the
Covid-19 lockdown. He notes that the government implemented lockdown measures
without giving proper notice to the citizens. Many of the migrant workers,
still in their workplaces, attempted to find means of returning to their
families. Some of them were not paid for the work that they had done, in spite
of repeated calls by the government to owners of mid-scale industries.
Concern of the Jesuits
Seeing the situation of the migrant workers trying to find
their way home, Fr. Solomon said, “we wanted to create a database, we also
wanted them to receive food and lodging.” He began to contact charitable
organizations, both religious and secular, to ask for their collaboration. He
also put out contact phone numbers on social media to facilitate communication.
In partnership with other organizations willing to help, Fr.
Solomon reached out to local government helplines to urge them to encourage the
host governments in the states where the migrants are stuck to provide food,
lodging and security for them.
Fr. Solomon points out that Bagaicha Social Centre is a
common apostolate of five Jesuit provinces in the central zone of India.
Migration and displacement have been two major issues that concern the Jesuits
in this region. For this reason, they are particularly troubled by the plight
of migrant workers. Jesuit colleges in South-India have also mobilized
resources to cater to the migrants in their vicinity.
Networking
“It is very important at this moment, that we keep in touch
with people of good will,” Father Solomon said.
He gave the example of some migrant workers who had cycled
for 1,800 kilometres and arrived in a state at night. It was only thanks to the
network of collaboration between organizations that the travellers were able to
be fed that night.
Call to solidarity
“If we stand in solidarity, irrespective of caste, creed and
religion, then definitely, we will overcome,” said Fr. Solomon.
He called on the government to consider the situation of the
migrant workers and to “hear the cry of the people. He noted that instead of
the government, it is “Indians, ordinary people who have mobilized their own
resources and reached out” to migrant workers.
“I think it is at this moment that we experience the
strength and the stamina of the Holy Spirit guiding all the communities to
bring them together to help out one another. That is a wonderful sign of God
being active at this time in solidarity with the poor,” Fr. Solomon said.
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