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Kerala men in Russia-Ukraine war: What leads to distress migration

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With development disparities and burgeoning populations as a result of reduced mortality rates worldwide, there is a shift in the conversation on migration. It is now often seen as a way to balance populations and as a way to address development inequalities globally. It is often assumed that migration is undertaken for opportunities and positive dividends. However, there remain numerous downsides in terms of its associated costs — social, emotional, familial and others. This mixed reading of the consequences of migration gives rise to the notion of distressed migration, which includes movement within nations or internationally.

A recent instance of distress migrants was from Kerala where people, in the hope of a better life, were misled and forced into joining the Russia-Ukraine war upon their arrival in Russia. Such desperate migration is usually undertaken under severe duress. The reasons range from financial constraints, agricultural crises, climate change, and other conflicts that are not necessarily voluntary as much as essential for survival. We have noticed this kind of migration in our recently completed surveys in Odisha and Jharkhand, as compared to that from Kerala.

Although distress migration may seem completely divorced from the kind that is sought after for a better life (opportunistic, not necessary), in reality, the two may not be so different. Within the category of distress migration, the following factors influence results: Distressed agent, a distressed environment and a distressed outcome.

The distressed agent is an individual migrant. Greater access to information and misinformation may compel youth to compare their current state of affairs with an imagined state of affairs and drive them to seek a better life. But the reality does not always match up to imagination. For instance, there is a danger of misleading information that could be overlooked in this quest for mobility. Aspirations based on a perceived abundance of opportunity elsewhere disregard the other factors that enable better jobs, such as education, access, etc. Employment is guided as much by want as by skill levels, labour market demand and the like. In this equation, when there is also a credibility deficit in terms of the information itself, it can lead to disastrous consequences of unweighed risks and dangers.

Distressed environment refers to when an area forces its people to migrate out. Conflicts, climate change and disasters are some examples of crises that make regions unliveable, pushing residents to find better conditions of living. This is what leads to mass migration.

Festive offer

At times, distress migration coincides with a distressed environment, leading to a two-fold problem. To be able to intervene effectively and ensure decent living for those affected, it is important to identify such situations ahead and propose alternative forms of livelihood for the people.

The third factor is distressed outcome. This refers to situations where migrants who are ill-informed become victims to the adverse conditions of the destination they migrate to. Such distress can broadly be classified as unsuccessful migration. In fact, naming or characterising such migration as distressed migration is where the confusion between migrants in distress and distressed migration comes from. While the original trigger and decision to migrate may be well reasoned with every possible outcome thoroughly reviewed, an unexpected situation might place migrants in distress. Therefore, distress migration should primarily be defined at the onset of the migration process and only involve the first two categories of distressed migration, as discussed above. The notion of distressed outcome, which is subject to evolving situations at the destination, cannot be fully subsumed under this.

Given the rising cases of distress migration, it becomes pertinent to define it better and put in place necessary rehabilitation measures to be adopted to minimise hardships. Currently, policies and programmes aimed at restricting distressed migration are predominantly viewed through an economic lens. But the distress from environmental crises, identity-related skirmishes and other conflicts remain beyond the scope of action. This is where we must fill in the gaps and propose strategies to alleviate suffering.

Finally, distress migration isn’t just about the conditions in the country/place of origin. Given that it is often an act of desperation, without due precautions, there is a greater likelihood that it will be unsuccessful.

Rajan is chair and Mishra is honorary visiting professor, International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD), Kerala, India

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

First uploaded on: 17-05-2024 at 17:53 IST

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