2020•05•15     Bhola Slum, Bangladesh

© UNU-EHS / Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson

UNU-EHS expert Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, who studies migration in relation to climate change, published op-eds on Thomson Reuters Foundation and Excelsior (in Spanish) on protecting migrants and refugees during COVID-19.

During the pandemic, we are told to self isolate, in an effort to flatten the curve. But for migrants and refugees, self-isolation is often not possible; informal settlements and refugee camps, such as Bhola Slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, tend to be overcrowded, and lacks sufficient access to clean water, sanitation and public health services, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks.

UNU-EHS expert Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, who studies migration in relation to climate change, recommends measures to mitigate the risks of outbreaks, and urges that existing human right frameworks should be followed to protect the migrants and refugees.

To read Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson’s op-ed, see English version on Thomson Reuters Foundation and Spanish version on Excelsior.