Debates for Future: Being a Young Migrant & Refugee in a (Post) Pandemic World

June 24, 2010

The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed our world characterized by interconnectivity and movements. The measures implemented by governments around the world such as lockdowns, the closure of schools and workplaces as well as the ban on public gathering are mainly aimed at reducing human mobility and thus to limit the spread of Covid-19.

As it is often the case during crises, vulnerable groups of the society such as migrants and refugees are the worst affected. What strategy should be adopted to reduce health risks, provide support and guarantee social protection to migrants and refugees?

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Mobility impacts of Covid-19 are considerable and have yet to be analyzed. However, we will try at this early stage to point out some of the major challenges faced by young refugees and migrants both during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic period.

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The debate will focus on three major topics:

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● Emotional, physical and economic survival during a pandemic: What are effects and consequences of Covid-19 on young refugees’ and migrants’ lives?

● Maintaining physical distance and increasing social cohesion: How to build solidarity in time of crisis?

● Out-migration from cities as a response to Covid-19 : Does the pandemic reinforce the trend of migration from cities to villages?