The IOM Migration Health Division (MHD) Research and Epidemiology Unit is currently updating the Bibliometric Analysis of COVID-19 in the Context of Migration Healthfull paper and repository, harnessing relevant research publications on COVID-19 in relation to migrants, migration, and human mobility. See Migration Health Evidence Portal for COVID-19, for reference.
To efficiently do this, we are seeking the help of interested MHADRI members, specifically in screening and tagging relevant publications in which MHADRI members can participate as reviewers. The MHD Research and Epidemiology Unit will then organize and deliver a quick training for the reviewers to guide them on the step-by-step process. Rest assured too that we will acknowledge your work in the paper.
Those interested may contact the MHD Research and Epidemiology Unit at mhdrap@iom.int. Deadline for submission: 5th Feb 2021.
September 2019 saw the launch of the BMJ’s migration health series, developed in collaboration with the Migration Health and Development Research Network (MHADRI) and the United Nations Migration agency. It aims to provide insights and perspectives by migrants and refugee communities, government authorities, researchers, policy makers, practitioners, civil society and industry groups in the issues, challenges and complexities in advancing migration health at national, regional and global levels.
A call for
papers!
The best pieces for The BMJ series will be policy and analytical pieces that develop new areas of thinking, challenge existing norms – taking on a major issue and offering new insights with data to support them. Papers that will take stock of the current state of evidence, debates and controversies, underscore advances, highlight critical gaps in evidence generation, and the key interventions needed for knowledge generation for advancing migration health polices and practice.
Papers of up to 1,500 words in length will be considered. BMJ encourages submissions from a diverse range of stakeholders as indicated. Perspectives from Low to Middle-Income Countries, and papers written collaboratively between researchers and policy makers are encouraged. Submissions should follow BMJ style guidelines. The series is calibrated along the axis of three perspectives: from the ‘individual’ migrant, the ‘health system’; and, the ‘political’- navigating policy, politics and diplomacy.
Political dimension: exploring the politics, power and governance around migration and health. Migration discourses continue to be at the forefront of political and social movements, dominating headlines and election campaigns, yet who is driving the migration and health agenda? How is migration health been framed as a public health priority? Where does it sit within health agendas at national, regional and global levels?
Health Systems dimension:
Despite the mantra to ‘leaving no one behind on the path to universal health
coverage’ non-citizens and migrant groups are often left-behind or left-out of
health system plans…rethinking health systems responses, health care
financing, health coverage to migration, human mobility and health…
Individual dimension: What
are the perspectives and experiences of migrants and refugees in navigating
health care? What are underlying discourses of vulnerability and ‘othering’?
What is the evidence on health impacts and what are strategies and sustainable
solutions being explored?…
This is
by no means an exhaustive list, but serves as reflection of the catalytic
questions along each axis!
Call for
multi-media contributions!
The BMJ series will provide an opportunity for multi-media submissions. Those working in the migration health field with the expertise and experience of the lessons (un)learnt distilled from dedicated practice of providing/enabling health care or conducting research with migrants and refugees can contribute multi-media content for the series. Of course, the lived experiences and stories of migrants and refugees are highly encouraged. The submissions may include for instance photo essays, audio-visual story board narratives, audio recorded commentaries/interviews and visual artwork.
A short analytical piece must accompany all submissions anchored to the 3 themes of the series. It is essential for any submitted work, the person/s who is the subject of the photo, audio or video recording to have provided requisite consent/assent for use and sharing of their images, stories, artwork and audio-video content. The final editorial decision of which multi-media submissions to be posted on the BMJ-series will of course be made by the BMJ through peer-review processors. Members should contact us for pre-submission inquiries.
What would make
a good topic for debate in the migration health field?
MHADRI would like to hear from you on ideas for debates on migration health related topics, that may be organised as podcasts in 2020. Please submit your ideas for debate questions and experts you feel that you will like to engage in such debates. Please contact MHADRI for pre-submission inquiries.
We are excited to launch a new series in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Migration and Health, that involves a collaboration between MHADRI, IOM and the BMJ. The first articles are now online.
Prepared by Edward Govere and Jo Vearey on behalf of MiCoSA (Migration and Coronavirus in Southern Africa Group) in collaboration with the IOM team: Lily Sanya, Sibuko Dinake, Wambui Gititu, Teenage Rapatsa and Anisa Ibrahim
This project and resulting brief consisted of 39 semi-structured key informant interviews with those who have direct experience in working with migrants with disabilities. COVID-19 restrictions meant that migrants with disabilities themselves were not interviewed, although the project included a photojournalism insight into their lives and experiences.
Conclusions included that migrants with disabilities are not a homogenous group but that across the board, disabilities do heighten challenges that all migrants face. There is a shortage of reliable data regarding migrants with disabilities in South Africa, and specifically about their experiences during COVID-19. Policies for supporting such migrants are lacking as well.
Next steps involve working directly alongside migrants with disabilities and across sectors to generate and use accurate data to inform policymaking. Disability policies and programming must be migration-aware and inclusive of migrant voices.
About MiCoSA The Migration and Coronavirus in Southern Africa Coordination Group (MiCoSA) is hosted by the Migration and Health Project Southern Africa (maHp) at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), Wits University, Johannesburg. MiCoSA is an informal network of migrant-led organisations, non-governmental organisations, international organisations, civil society, activists, lawyers, researchers, government officials and policy advisors. Through an online platform and virtual meetings, MiCoSA brings together national and SADC regional partners who are concerned with the health and well-being of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants during the current Coronavirus pandemic. To date, MiCoSA has over 150 members; to join this network, please email coronavirusmigration+join@googlegroups.com
This occasional paper is the start of a series that explores the impacts of COVID-19 and ensuing responses on migration and the wellbeing of migrant and mobile communities in Africa. This paper provides insight into how vaccine nationalism is impacting the rollout of vaccination programs, including the inclusion or exclusion of migrant groups. The paper demonstrates that
“the vast majority of international migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and IDPs are being excluded from state-based vaccine roll-out programmes either via formal policy directives or through various forms of de facto exclusion, such as barriers to access healthcare at the local and national level. These forms of exclusion are likely to have far-reaching public health implications across the continent, affecting both citizens and migrants alike.”
The Migration and Coronavirus in Southern Africa Coordination Group (MiCoSA) is hosted by the Migration and Health Project Southern Africa (maHp) at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), Wits University, Johannesburg. MiCoSA is an informal network of migrant-led organisations, non-governmental organisations, international organisations, civil society, activists, lawyers, researchers, government officials and policy advisors. Through an online platform and virtual meetings, MiCoSA brings together national and SADC regional partners who are concerned with the health and well-being of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants during the current Coronavirus pandemic. To date, MiCoSA has over 150 members; to join this network, please email coronavirusmigration+join@googlegroups.com
This article examines the impact that COVID-19 has had on the movement of migrant healthcare workers throughout Europe. Dr. Trummer specifically focuses on how the shutting of borders (with a specific case study on the border between Romania and Austria) has restricted low-income 24-hour care providers who depend on free movement in order to complete their shifts:
“For the European Union, free movement of EU citizens within EU is an important element of the very idea of a united Europe. The right to freedom of movement is guaranteed by Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU). It states that “Every citizen of the Union has the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.”This should especially serve the further development of a European economy, where a European work force can fulfil labor market demands where needed across national borders.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed that. All of a sudden, the European Union got fragmented again into 28 national states each with their respective responses to the pandemic. National public health policies demanded the closure of national borders and overruled the freedom of movement. As health issues of EU member states are subject to national regulations, countries established different policies of border control and regulations on who is allowed to travel under which circumstances, and how matters of quarantine are handled. National borders were seen as the most important checkpoints for controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Ironically, this has a tremendous negative consequence especially for the health care sector in rich EU countries which depend on migrant health care workers. The closure of EU-internal borders furthermore revealed the relevance of a borderless EU for another important health issue: care for the elderly. Countries like Austria are characterized by an ageing population and consequently elder care, either in nursing homes or at home, has become a major challenge.”
Austria depends heavily on care providers from Romania, and COVID-19 has impacted their ability to travel immensely. Read the rest of the article for more detail.
On July 9th, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice proposed a new rule – “Security Bars and Processing” – that would give them expansive authority to deny asylum and block and deport asylum seekers in the name of public health.
This rule undermines and contradicts good public health principles and practice.
During this webinar, you’ll learn about this new rule, its implications for public health and asylum in the United States, and how to take action against it via a panel of experts, hosted by the Program on Forced Migration and Health within the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, the Health and Human Rights Certificate, Human Rights First, the Center for Humanitarian Health within Johns Hopkins University, Physicians for Human Rights, and Global Response Management.
Panelists: Monette Zard, Program of Forced Migration and Health, Columbia University Eleanor Acer and Kennji Kizuka, Human Rights First Dr. Paul B. Spiegel, Center for Humanitarian Health, Johns Hopkins University Dr. Michele Heisler, Physicians for Human Rights Helen Perry, Global Response Management Learn more:
The symposium, a collaboration between the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/UNU-MERIT (with the Maastricht Centre for Global Health and the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development) and the Radboud University Network on Migrant Inclusion (RUNOMI) in Nijmegen, will highlight the complex intersections between migration, health and integration through discussions around both research and practise. The symposium will bring together academics, including students and early career researchers, health professionals, policymakers and representatives of civil society to discuss issues related to migrant health. The event will also mark the official launch of the Health and Migration Collaborative Community website, a growing resource portal that provides short analytical reviews and other support materials for academics, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders interested in issues related to migration and health.
On 26th November 2020, the 1st Symposium on Migration, Health and Integration will take place. The symposium, a collaboration between the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/UNU-MERIT (with the Maastricht Centre for Global Health and the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development) and the Radboud University Network on Migrant Inclusion (RUNOMI) in Nijmegen, will highlight the complex intersections between migration, health and integration through discussions around both research and practise. The symposium will bring together academics, including students and early career researchers, health professionals, policymakers and representatives of civil society to discuss issues related to migrant health. The event will also mark the official launch of the Health and Migration Collaborative Community website, a growing resource portal that provides short analytical reviews and other support materials for academics, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders interested in issues related to migration and health.
Deadline for submission: 04/09/2020
To be presented on: 26/11/2020
We invite submissions that cover a range of migrant health-related topics (e.g. access to care, health promotion, noncommunicable and communicable diseases, mental health, climate change…). We invite reflection from practice as well as academic research (e.g. completed research, ongoing projects, conceptual and methodological challenges).
Please send your extended abstract (max. 700 words) as a Word file to e-mail: sarah.roder@maastrichtuniversity.nl. Please include 3-5 keywords, the names and titles of all the contributing authors, and the institution affiliation of all authors.
Abstracts will be reviewed by the symposium organisers, and the decision on abstracts will be communicated by the 20th September 2020.
The symposium will be hosted in the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/UNU-MERIT in Maastricht. The event will be free of charge (registration is required) and catering will be provided. Please note that no financial support for travel or accommodation is available for participants or panellists. To register and for more information please contact sarah.roder@maastrichtuniversity.nl or call +31 43 388 4433.
International Organization for Migration 20th April 2020 Under review
“To strengthen the current knowledge base on COVID-19 and migration health, the scientific and research community should consider examining specific health-related outcomes in specific migrant groups as well as other relevant variables that can impact on migrants (i.e. structure and process measures). Investigations on COVID-19 and migration health should not be limited to the role of movement/mobility in the dynamic importation of cases in a pandemic; a more inclusive research strategy integrating the relevant interests of migrant populations is suggested.”
“Given the regional implications, countries in South Asia must “act in unison” to conceive public health for the entire region. [6] The Covid-19 Emergency Fund created by South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a promising step. However, an effective response requires greater regional cooperation, facilitating safe passage, and strong political commitment to universalise health and social protection, continue primary care and guarantee socio-economic rights. Ignoring poor migrants and those in informal economies nationally will not only erode lives but also impede national economic and social recovery from covid-19.”
Anuj Kapilashrami is senior lecturer in gender and global health policy at the Centre for Global Public Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
Anns Issac is technical officer at the Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, New Delhi, India
Jeevan Sharma is senior lecturer in South Asia and International development at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Kolitha Wickramage is the Migration Health Research and Epidemiology coordinator at the Migration Health Division, the UN Migration Agency, Manila, Philippines
Ekatha Ann John is researcher at Centre for Global Public Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
Divya Ravindranath is postdoctoral fellow at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements, Bengaluru, India
Roomi Aziz is technical lead in health data and communication at Pathway to Impact, Punjab, Pakistan
Patrick Duigan is the regional migration health advisor, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, International Organization for Migration, Bangkok, Thailand
on behalf of the Migration Health South Asia network
“An inclusive approach to epidemic control requires detailed knowledge and information about all relevant population groups, including their demography, their cultural-linguistic and socio-economic needs and of course, their health and illness, including COVID-19. The benefits of ensuring that public health messages can be understood and help appropriately should be obvious for any public health campaign and are vital if COVID-19 is to be successfully controlled. It is also critical to understand potential benefits and costs of public health measures to all population groups, and to avoid inadvertently aggravating vulnerabilities, such as deterrence of health service access through police-enforced social distancing measures or separation of migrants from family and social support networks when being stranded due to border closures.
In many countries, rapidly applied and crude public health measures for COVID-19 are increasingly being fine-tuned in renewed efforts of deconfinement of populations. This phase will require detailed knowledge and information about the epidemic and active inclusion of all migrant population groups in healthcare and in epidemic control plans will not only be the right thing to do from a human rights perspective, but also vital to successful COVID-19 control going forward.”
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