Migration Studies

What is the issue?

Migrants have made notable contributions to their countries of origin as well as destination, which is especially true for South Asia.
Migration studies need to put in perspective changing patterns of movement.

What is the status in India?

For several years, India has ranked the highest among countries that receive remittances from migrants.
States such as Kerala have benefited enormously from migrants to countries in the Persian Gulf.
We need to understand the distinctive characteristics of migrants from different states of the country, their choice of destinations and the patterns and purposes of migration.
There has been very little by way of research to understand the changing patterns of migration from India.
We need fresh thinking at both the national and state levels.

What is the current state of research on migration from India?

Kerala has conducted a series of 8 migration surveys while Tamil Nadu, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat have produced state-level data only once.
Migration is a changing phenomenon and understanding its dynamics requires research at adequate intervals.
Moreover, state-level surveys have focused only on legal and voluntary cross-border migration.
And, surveys have focussed on households to understand the emigrants or return migrants.
It was only last year that a survey in Kerala tried to understand the people intending to migrate.

Why migration studies shouldn’t be confined to labour?

There is much work on labour migration from India.
Studies should be done on cross-border human trafficking, Indian entrepreneurs in different countries, student migration, family migration, undocumented migration and the challenges faced by migrants in integration.
These themes need both methodological and theoretical attention.
We must conceptualise migration studies beyond producing databases - though that too is important.
We need to understand migration through the lens of historians, psychologists, sociologists, geographers and legal specialists.
An interdisciplinary approach could make the field that is currently dominated by economists and demographers much richer.

Why gender based study should be done?

The migration patterns are dissimilar between genders.
So, migration studies would benefit from a gender studies perspective.
Current research focuses on a small sub-population of woman migrants such as nurses and domestic workers.
However, Indian woman migrants also comprise students, professionals, beauticians, sales associates and hotel workers.
Besides, women are trafficked to different countries in the Gulf for a variety of purposes ranging from domestic work to immoral activities.
Therefore, much work is needed to deepen our understanding of migration and gender.

Why should the study focus on destination choices?

Of late, there have been changes in the destination choices of Indian migrants.
The preference seems to be for non-Anglophone countries despite the integration challenges.
Indian students are moving to China, Japan, Germany and the countries of the former Soviet bloc.
We can see a South-South pattern of student migration along the India-Nepal corridor.
Yet, the predominant focus of migration studies is on Anglophone countries.

Why distress migration needs attention?

The distress migrants are victims of human trafficking, workers who do not have proper documents, migrants trapped in a war zone or conflict areas or those who have been involved in workplace place accidents.
There is no much data about Indian migrants jailed in different countries or cheated by fake recruiting agents.
However, there is a lack in the national- and state-level data on deceased Indian workers.
In recent years, there have been reports of Indian workers held captive by pirates in African countries.
There have also been reports of human smuggling from Punjab to Greece and Italy.

What could be done?

Social media has become a powerful tool to highlight the plights of migrant workers.
In several cases, the Ministry of External Affairs has taken swift action after there were reports on the plight of migrants in social media.
But migration studies have not given much thought to increasing the use of social media for migrant welfare.
Centres for migration studies can be established in universities and research institutions.
One way to bridge the knowledge gap is to replicate the Kerala model of migration surveys in all states.
Finally, it is equally important to frame a comprehensive national migration policy to address the issues faced by migrants.

Source: Indian Express