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Covid-19 Related Vulnerabilities Among Migrants in Armenia

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Covid-19 Related Vulnerabilities Among Migrants in Armenia Rapid needs assessment: COVID-19 RELATED VULNERABILITIES AMONG MIGRANTS IN ARMENIA The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. This publication was made possible through support provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the terms of "Enhancing Migrants' Rights and Good Governance in Armenia Georgia" project. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Assessment and report prepared by Eurasia Partnership Foundation Edited by Adrian Loxton Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel: +41.22.717 91 11 Fax: +41.22.798 61 50 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.iom.int © 2020 International Organization for Migration (IOM) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. PUB2020/101/R 3 Contents ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................. 5 1. BACKGROUND........................................................................................................9 1.1 Assessment Objectives................................................................................. 9 1.2 Scope and Methodology ............................................................................. 10 2. MIGRANT DEMOGRAPHICS AND COMMUNITY PROFILES .................................. 13 2.1 Community Composition .......................................................................... 13 2.2 Student Communities ............................................................................... 14 2.3 Worker Communities ................................................................................ 14 3. POLICY AND LEGISLATION ................................................................................. 16 3.1 Response to COVID-19 ............................................................................. 16 3.2 Policy Implications for Migrants ............................................................... 18 4. ISSUES OF CONCERN TO MIGRANTS ................................................................. 20 4.1 Employment and Financial Difficulties ...................................................... 21 4.2 Housing..................................................................................................... 23 4.3 Migration Status ....................................................................................... 25 4.4 Antipathy Towards Migrants ..................................................................... 26 4.5 Social Rights............................................................................................. 28 4.6 Access to Information................................................................................28 4.7 Health care................................................................................................ 31 5. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................... 40 6. ANNEXES ........................................................................................................... 43 Annex A – Consolidated List of Recommendations. ......................................... 43 Annex B – Snowball Chains .............................................................................. 47 Annex C – Research Tables 1 – 6...................................................................... 48 Annex D – Research Tables 8 – 10. Charts 1 – 13 ............................................ 52 4 Abbreviations EPF Eurasia Partnership Foundation IGO Intergovernmental organization KII Key Information Interviews NGO non-governmental organization PCI Primary Care Institution SMS State Migration Service WHO World Health Organization UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Assessment Background rmenia has traditionally been seen as an origin country for migration and a transit point for migrants heading elsewhere, Apredominantly to the Russian Federation and the West. However, although official statistics continue to record net emigration, the country has recently experienced a year on year increase in the arrival of immigrants seeking to work and study. When the migration balance changes in any country, the authorities and the people inevitably need time to adjust and Armenia is no exception. When the number of migrant arrivals was negligible, Armenia took a reactive approach to 3rd country migrants, primarily because they could be fairly easily integrated within the existing social and official structure. However, a significant and rapid rise in new arrivals has threatened to increase migrant vulnerability and created issues relating to access to information and basic services (e.g. health-care, education, social protection, etc.). The threat has become considerably more severe due to the state of emergency precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, this assessment was initiated by IOM Armenia under the “Enhancing Migrants’ Rights and Good Governance in Armenia and Georgia” regional project funded by the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry. It was conducted by Eurasia Partnership Foundation and covers the period between April - May 2020, when strict lockdown and public limitation rules were introduced by the Government of Armenia.1 1 Major restrictions were lifted on 2020, however the Government adopted strict rule for public transportation, business activities, border management, etc. Rapid needs assessment: 6 COVID-19 RELATED VULNERABILITIES AMONG MIGRANTS IN ARMENIA Scope and Methodology A representative sampling for the study was not possible due to lack of sufficient information on migrants in Armenia. As a result, chain referral sampling or the �snowball� method (Annex B) was used to identify the contacts of migrants through talking to existing migrant community groups and non-governmental and international organizations dealing with migrant issues, as well as cooperative migrants themselves. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews were conducted using online communication tools and a Google based online questionnaire. Interviews were semi-structured and developed in advance. In total, 64 migrants participated in the study, 32 of whom were interviewed and 32, foreign students in Armenia, filled in the online questionnaire. The interviews and responses to the online questionnaires provided insight to the difficulties faced by migrants in the wake of the COVID-19 and a picture of problems encountered by them before the pandemic was drawn from a review of national media reporting, focusing on publications related to foreign migrants in Armenia between 2019 — 2020. Policy and Legislation On 16 March 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government of Armenia declared a state of emergency for an initial period of month, which was subsequently extended. Movement restrictions were imposed on the Armenian — Islamic Republic of Iran border and air travel, allowing only nationals of the Islamic Republic of Iran and holders of temporary resident permits to return to the country. Restrictions also were extended to Georgia, the Russian Federation and 16 other countries. As the situation deteriorated, travel restrictions within the country and lockdown measures were imposed. On 3 May, most businesses were conditionally allowed to operate and most restrictions on movement were removed. Support programmes were provided by the Government, aimed at reducing the impact on the economy and providing support to individuals to assist with social consequences. Many of these benefited labour migrants, provided that they were legally registered in the Country, together with Armenian nationals. They included low interest business loans, compensation towards energy costs and assistance for people in specific businesses, particularly the hospitality industry. Rapid needs assessment: COVID-19 RELATED VULNERABILITIES AMONG MIGRANTS IN ARMENIA 7 Issues of Concern to Migrants When describing the major issues which they and their communities experience, interviewed migrants highlighted financial difficulties both for themselves and for their communities, housing issues, access to health care, access to information and visa and migration issues. Examples of low-level antipathy towards migrants were described, but appear not to have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Students had
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