Workshop Report on  Enhancing Health and Social Protection Policy Framework for Migrant Workers in Kottayam  District, Kerala, India
Creators: name: Mariyil, Navas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Human migrations

description: Internal migration has emerged as a dominant source of the labour force in Kerala. Acollaborative effort was undertaken by the SERB Project, Disha Foundation, Centrefor Migration Policy and Inclusive Governance of the School of InternationalRelations and Politics, and Mahatma Gandhi University to review the migrationsituation from an inclusive governance perspective. Together, these organizationsorchestrated a one-day workshop titled "Enhancing the Health and Social ProtectionPolicy Framework for Migrant Workers in Kottayam District, Kerala, India." Tofacilitate a cross-sectoral dialogue to identify and address the most relevant issuesabout protecting migrant’s rights.

The workshop drew participation from a diverse group, including Migrant Workers,the Labor Department, the Health Department, the Medical College Department, theWomen and Child Department, the Community Medicine Department, NGOs, theDistrict Planning Board, the Local Self-Governing Department, Trade Unions,Teachers, Researchers, and Independent Scholars. In total, 40 individuals took part inthe one-day event. Dr. Bijulal MV, Principal Investigator of the SERB Project, andDr. Anjali Borhade, Director of the Disha Foundation, skillfully moderated thesessions.

Throughout the workshop, various departments conducted interactive sessions,leading to a significant revelation: the challenges faced by migrant workers couldonly be effectively addressed through coordinated efforts across differentdepartments. This event marked a pioneering initiative in Kerala, setting a precedentfor the entire nation and spanning a year-long engagement.The success of the SERB-DISHA-CMPIG-SIRP workshop was possible only throughthe contributions and support of several individuals and organizations. Specialthanks were extended to Prof. C.T. Aravindakumar, Vice-Chancellor of MahatmaGandhi University, whose insightful suggestions significantly contributed to the

 

workshop's success. District Collector V. Vigneswari IAS played pivotal role incoordinating various departments' efforts to ensure the workshop's successfulcompletion. Additionally, the Disha Foundation, under the leadership of Dr. AnjaliBorhade, provided crucial financial support.

Acknowledgement is also due to Dr Bijulal M.V, Chairperson of the Center forMigration Policy and Inclusive Research, who served as the Principal Investigatorfor the SERB Project, and Dr. C. Vinodhan, Director of the School of InternationalRelations and Politics, Dr Subhojit Dey, Executive Director Disha Foundation,Dr Isha Jain, Programme coordinator, Disha Foundation as well as the dedicatedstudent coordinators who worked tirelessly to make the workshop a success.This report comes out in the context of the state government's discussions for anupdated policy for migrant workers in Kerala. The workshop has produced acomprehensive report containing recommendations for initiating conversations on anew interstate migrant law. The report provides valuable insights and guidance onmeasures that the government should consider in formulating policies to protect therights and ensure welfare of migrant workers. Based on these recommendations, thestate of Kerala could develop a migrant-friendly legal framework that includessocial, cultural, health and occupational rights. In this endeavour, similar workshopsshould be conducted in all 14 districts of Kerala, and their insights should becoordinated for legislation.