COVID-19 and migrants in Europe

This page gathers statements and resources about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on migrant communities and on civil society working with migrants.

Additional PICUM resources:

• PICUM: Non-exhaustive overview of European government measures impacting undocumented migrants taken in the context of COVID-19

PICUM members’ statements:

• Aditus (Malta): The ill-treatment aboard the Captain Morgan ships must be stopped at once!
• Aditus (Malta): The nation cannot quietly celebrate Easter whilst men, women and children are drowning on our doorstep.
• ADC Memorial – Anti Discrimination Centre Memorial (Belgium): Human rights defenders demand the release of immigration detainees during the pandemic
• ASGI (Italy): L’impatto sui diritti delle/dei cittadine/i straniere/i e le misure di tutela necessarie: una prima ricognizione
• ASGI (Italy): COVID-19: le Regioni tutelino chi vive negli insediamenti informali
• ASTI (Luxemburg), Le COVID-19 exige une solidarité sans conditions
• FLEX Focus on Labour Exploitation (UK): New Briefing: No Worker Left Behind – how might the COVID-19 pandemic impact worker exploitation?
• Funcación CEPAIM; Almeria Acoge,Médicos del Mundo y Cruz Roja (Spain), Protocolo conjunto para la intervención inmediata en los asentamientos de la provincia de Almería para la prevención y control del coronavirus
• Funcación CEPAIM (Spain), Por una regularización de personas migrantes indocumentadas, ante la pandemia del Covid 19
• Funcación CEPAIM, Almeria Acoge, Sevilla Acoge (Spain), El Escudo Social para las Personas Sin Hogar ante el Coronavirus debe proteger también a las personas que residen en asentamientos chabolistas junto a explotaciones agrarias
• CORAM (UK), Children’s legal centre, Coronavirus impact on EHC plans and children with special educational needs
• FGTB (Belgium), Protéger les travailleuses et travailleurs durant la crise du coronavirus
• FIZ (Switzerland), Les victimes de la traite des êtres humains ont besoin de protection -aussi en temps de crise!
• Generation 2.0 (Greece), Monitoring of working and living conditions of the migrant agricultural workers at Manolada in Ilia, Greece.
• GISTI (France), Face à la crise sanitaire, l’enfermement administratif des personnes étrangères doit immédiatement cesser
• Greek Forum of Refugees, AITIMA, 119 ORG (Greece), Protect the most vulnerable to ensure protection for everyone! 
• Human Rights 360° (Greece), Protect the Most Vulnerable to Ensure Protection…
• ICRSE, Sex workers in Europe set up emergency fundraisers to provide food and shelter for community impacted by COVID-19
• Jesuit Refugee Service Europe, Covid-19 and asylum: the right response is the same as ever – ensure protection, stop detention, invest in inclusion.
• The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (UK), Protecting migrants from Covid-19
• KISA (Cyprus), Protection of public health is not feasible amidst exclusion and discrimination!
• KISA (Cyprus), The government undermines legality and the rule of law under the pretext of coronavirus
• La Strada (The Netherlands), The impact of COVID-19 on the protection of rights of trafficked and exploited persons
• LAWRS, Step Up Migrant Women campaign (UK), COVID-19: Domestic Abuse Services Call for Urgent Support for Migrant Victims Blocked from Safety, Healthcare and Refuges.
• LEGIS (Macedonia), COVID-19: No one is safe until All are protected!
• Maternity Action, End unfair treatment of pregnant women and new mothers in Covid support schemes
• MRCI Migrants Rights Centre Ireland, Migrants Rights Centre Ireland calls for health and safety measures in the agri-food industry to be upheld
• MRN Migrants Rights Network (UK), Access to Healthcare, Housing & Food for All- ‘Status Now’!
• MRN Migrants Rights Nextwork (UK), Open letter to the chief executives of all local authorities in England
• NASC (Ireland), Nasc calls on Minister for Justice and Equality to ‘Move the Vulnerable Out’ 
• ORBIT (Belgium), Persbericht | Overheid zet mensen zonder papieren uit gesloten centra op straat | Hoezo #blijfinuwkot?
• Pax Christi International: Life in a time of a global pandemic crisis
• Por ti mujer (Spain), ¡¡No nos pueden dejar atrás!!
• Samen Levingsopbouw Brussel (Belgium): Voedselhulp cruciaal om coronacrisis in Brussel hoofd te bieden
• Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes (Spain): No retomar el internamiento en los CIE cuando acabe la pandemia
• Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes (Spain): Ante la situación de excepcionalidad, Interior debe liberar a las personas de los CIE
• Solidarité sans frontières (Switzerland): Appel aux autorités fédérales, cantonales et à toutes les collectivités publiques
• UNDOK (Austria): Arbeiten ohne Papiere in der Corona-Krise

Statements co-signed by PICUM:

• The Civil Society Action Committee: First, Save Lives: Solutions for the COVID-19 Pandemicand New Solidarity with Migrants and Refugees
• Joint Statement (28 organisations): Without Rights for Agri-food Workers, Europe’s Food Supplies Rest on Shaky Ground
• EU Alliance for Investing in Children: Joint statement on protecting children and their families during and after the COVID19 crisis
• FAR Feminist Alliance for Rights: Call for a Feminist COVID-19 Policy
• Hope and Homes for Children: COVID-19: Call to action to protect vulnerable families and children in alternative care across Europe
• NLO Nobody Left Outside: EU and national government COVID-19 responses must reach everyone–including marginalised people
• Social Platform: Statement on the COVID-19 pandemic
• Women in Migration Network: From Crisis to a New Social Compact: An inclusive, intersectional feminist approach is the only way out of the COVID crisis

Other statements or resources concerning migrants:

• Amnesty International (Europe and Central Asia): The COVID-19 pandemic can teach us compassion for migrants and refugees
• Caritas Europa: COVID-19 An opportunity to improve our welfare systems
• Center for Reproductive Rights: European governments must ensure safe and timely access to abortion care during the COVID-19 pandemic 
• CESI: Covid 19:Workers in precarious employment to be hit particularly hard
• The Committee on the Rights of the Child: Grave physical, emotional and psychological effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and calls on States to protect the rights of children
• Council of Europe: States should ensure rescue at sea and allow safe disembarkation during the COVID-19 crisis
• Council of Europe: Commissioner calls for release of immigration detainees while Covid-19 crisis continues
• EATG European AIDS Treatment Group: COVID-19 crisis’ Impact on PLHIV and on Communities Most Affected by HIV
• ECRE European Council on Refugees and Exiles: COVID-19 Measures Related to Asylum and Migration Across Europe 
• ECRE European Council on Refugees and Exiles: Open letter signed by 121 Organizations
• EFFAT – EFFE – EFSI – UNI –Europa Joint Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic in Personal and Household Services (PHS)
• Eurochild: Protecting children now and in the future – Eurochild public statement on COVID-19 and in the future 
• Eurodiaconia: Protectingthe vulnerable –supporting our peoplePolicy recommendations to address the social and economic impact of COVID 19
• EFFAT European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions : COVID-19Outbreak,workers in agriculture and food production deserve better protection
• ENAR European Network Against Racism: COVIDIMPACT: Lifting Structural Barriers: A Priority in the Fight Against Racism
• ENAR European Network Against Racism: Leaving no one behind in the coronavirus crisis: ENAR calls for system change now to achieve real equality
• EUPHA European Public Health Alliance: Reducing the impact of the coronavirus crisis on those ‘left behind’ –Disadvantaged Migrants and Ethnic Minorities (MEM)
• ETUC European Trade Union Confedaration: Overlooked: migrant workers in the COVID-19 crisis
• EU Filipino network Migrante Europe: April 28 Coalition for Migrants’ and Refugees’ Rights and Welfare
• EWSI European Web Site on Integration: COVID-19’s impact on migrant communities
• Health Action International (HAI) and the European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines coordinated a statement signed by 61 organisations.
• IDC International Detention Coalition: IDC Position on Covid-19
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee: Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings
• International Domestic Workers Federation: Statement on Protecting Domestic Workers Rights and Fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic
• IOM, UN Migration: IOM Responds to COVID-19
• The Lancet: Refugee and migrant health in the COVID-19 response
• The Lancet: Leaving no one behind in the COVID-19 Pandemic: a call for urgent global action to include migrants and refugees in the COVID-19 response.
• The New School – Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility: Human mobility and human rights in the COVID-19 pandemic: Principles of protection for migrants, refugees, and other displaced persons
• Migrant Forum in Asia: Uphold Migrant’s Rights in Times of Crisis Situations
• OHCHR United Nations Office of the High Commissioner Humanr Rights: COVID-19 Guidance
• Terra Onlus (Italy): Agire subito per tutelare la salute dei migranti costretti negli insediamentirurali informali e nei ghetti
• Terre des Hommes: Accelerate release of children from detention; Protect children from COVID-19
• UN AIDS: Sex workers must not be left behind in the response to COVID-19
• UNHCR: As COVID-19 pandemic continues, forcibly displaced children need more support than ever
• UN Human Rights: UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies call for human rights approach in fighting COVID-19
• UN Migration Network: COVID-19 Does Not Discriminate; Nor Should Our Response
• VICE: How Europe’s Pandemic Response Pushed Poor Migrant Workers Further Through the Cracks
• WHO, OHCHR, IOM, UNHCR joint press release: the rights and health of refugees, migrants and stateless must be protected in COVID-19 response