Even Mask Purchases Discriminate Against Migrants! Implement Measures Without Discrimination!
Position of nationwide migrant human rights organizations urging an end to discrimination against migrants in COVID-19 measures
As the COVID-19 crisis has been raised to the “serious” level, concern and anxiety are growing among the 2.5 million migrants staying in Korea. Yet the measures of the government and local governments are inadequate, poorly prepared and even discriminatory, which makes the problem worse.
Under the “Measures to Stabilize the Supply of Masks” announced by the government on March 5, a Korean national needs only an identification card to buy public masks at a pharmacy, whereas a foreign migrant must present both a “health insurance card and an alien registration card.” This means that migrants who do not have these two documents are excluded from buying public masks from the outset. In other words, hundreds of thousands of people are broadly excluded, including migrants who have stayed less than six months and could not enroll in health insurance, international students, business owners without a business registration (especially migrant workers working in farming and fishing areas), and unregistered residents.
Even before this, cases in which foreign residents were excluded from the mask distribution of local governments in some areas were reported in the media and were also reported to migrant support organizations. Moreover, migrant workers find it hard even to leave their workplaces and do not know where masks are sold, so buying a mask was as hard as picking a star from the sky. Should even the purchase of public masks discriminate against and exclude so many migrants like this?
A virus does not choose its victims. Should the response to COVID-19 not be implemented without discrimination for everyone in this land, whether native-born or migrant, and especially for the vulnerable and socially disadvantaged? Requiring migrants to present both a health insurance card and an alien registration card is a discriminatory act that demands more than is required of Korean nationals, and because it excludes migrants from the public health system and can expose gaps in disease prevention, it must be corrected. In addition, because migrant workers in reality lack the time and information to go out and buy masks due to long working hours, it is also necessary to explore alternatives such as delivering masks directly to workplaces or distributing them through employment centers.
Migrants are also seriously cut off from information about COVID-19. Apart from the prevention rules that were translated and provided in several languages in the early stage of the outbreak, the government does not provide information systematically. Migrants cannot learn about the progress of the outbreak, information that is newly announced every day, local public health centers and mask outlets, or the various government measures such as postponed school openings and childcare arrangements, a flood of information that pours out almost daily. Even the policies that ministries such as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Employment and Labor issue for migrants are announced late and barely in English. The most basic requirement in a disaster is the systematic provision of information. Creating COVID-19 pages on sites that many migrants visit, such as HiKorea and the Danuri Multicultural Family Support Portal, and providing multilingual information from moment to moment is entirely possible and must be done urgently.
In the COVID-19 crisis, discriminatory views toward migrants must not continue any longer. Social stigma and hatred toward Chinese nationals and others, and discriminatory policies toward migrants, do not help at all in calming and overcoming the crisis. Equal measures that include everyone will be the shortest path to overcoming COVID-19.
March 6, 2020
All nationwide migrant human rights organizations
광주전남이주노동자인권네트워크(광주민중의집, 광주비정규직센터, 공익변호사와 함께하는 동행, 전국금속노동조합 광주전남지부 광주자동차부품사 비정규직지회, 전국금속노동조합 광주전남지부 금호타이어비정규직지회, 전국민주노동조합총연맹 법률원(광주사무소))
난민인권네트워크(공익법센터 어필, 공익변호사와 함께하는 동행, 공익사단법인 정, 공익인권법재단 공감, 공익인권센터 드림(DREAM), 광주이주민건강센터, 국제난민지원단체 피난처, 글로벌호프, 난민인권센터, 동두천난민공동체, 사단법인 두루, 순천이주민지원센터, 아시아의 친구들,아시아평화를향한이주MAP, 이주여성을위한문화경제공동체 에코팜므, 이주민지원공익센터 감동, 의정부 EXODUS, 이주민지원센터친구, 천주교 제주교구 이주사목센터 나오미, 재단법인 동천, 제주평화인권연구소 왓, 파주 EXODUS, 한국이주인권센터, 휴먼아시아)
단속추방반대! 노동비자 쟁취! 경기지역 이주노동자 공동대책위원회 (공감직업환경의학센터, 노동자연대경기지회, 녹색당 경기도당, 다산인권센터, 민주노총경기도본부, 사회변혁노동자당경기도당, 수원이주민센터, 아시아의 친구들, 오산이주노동자센터, 이주노조, 지구인의 정류장, 한국노동안전보건연구소, 화성이주노동자쉼터)
대구경북 이주노동자인권·노동권 실현을 위한 연대회의 (경산경북이주노동자센터, 대구경북인도주의실천의사협의회, 땅과자유, 민주노총경북본부, 민주노총대구본부, 민중행동, 대구사람장애인자립센터, 장애인지역공동체, 성서공단노조, 대구이주민선교센터, 대구이주여성인권센터, 인권운동연대, 지구별동무, 대구민주사회를위한변호사모임, 대구북부노동상담소), 두레방,
외국인이주노동운동협의회 ((사)모두를 위한 이주인권문화센터, 아산이주노동자센터, 부천이주노동복지센터, 인천외국인노동자센터, (사)한국이주민건강협회 희망의친구들, 남양주시외국인복지센터, 파주샬롬의집, 포천나눔의집, 서울외국인노동자센터, 아시아인권문화연대, 순천이주민지원센터, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 의정부EXODUS, (사)함께하는 공동체, (사)한국이주여성인권센터, 원불교 서울외국인센터)
이주노동자 차별철폐와 인권·노동권 실현을 위한 공동행동 (건강권실현을위한보건의료단체연합, 경기이주공대위, 공익인권법재단 공감, 구속노동자후원회, 노동당, 노동사회과학연구소, 노동전선, 노동자연대, 녹색당, 대한불교조계종사회노동위원회, 문화연대, 민주사회를위한변호사모임노동위원회, 민주주의법학연구회, 민주평등사회를 위한 전국교수연구자협의회, 사회변혁노동자당, 사회진보연대, 이주노동자노동조합(MTU), (사)이주노동희망센터, 이주노동자운동후원회, 이주민방송(MWTV), (사)이주민센터 친구, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 전국빈민연합, 전국철거민연합, 전국학생행진, 정의당, 지구인의정류장, 천주교인권위원회, 필리핀공동체카사마코, (사)한국불교종단협의회인권위원회, 한국비정규노동센터)
이주노동자 인권을 위한 부산울산경남 공동대책위원회(가톨릭노동상담소, 김해이주민인권센터, 민주노총부산본부, (사) 이주민과함께, 사단법인 희망웅상, 사회변혁노동자당부산시당, 울산이주민센터, 양산외국인노동자의집, 필리핀커뮤니티센터)
이주인권연대 (경산(경북)이주노동자센터, 경주이주노동자센터, 아시아의 창, 울산이주민센터, (사)이주민과 함께, 이주민노동인권센터, 이주와 인권연구소, 지구인의 정류장, 천안모이세, 한국이주인권센터)