[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned today that Covid-19 is driving discrimination against vulnerable communities in Asia, including migrants and foreigners.
The humanitarian agency surveyed 5,000 people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Pakistan and found that about half blamed a specific group for spreading the virus, with many citing Chinese, immigrants and foreigners.
“It is particularly concerning that both migrant and foreign national workers are blamed for the spread of Covid-19 as they are already quite vulnerable,” said Dr. Viviane Fluck, one of the principal investigators and coordinator of engagement and Asia-Pacific community accountability of the agency, he told Reuters.
He said it should focus more on combating “the rumors that are related to the underlying power dynamics and structural problems of inequality.”
More than half of the Indonesians surveyed blamed “foreigners and rule breakers”, while in Myanmar, the groups held most responsible were Chinese and other foreigners.
In Malaysia, two-thirds blamed a “specific group”, most often mentioning migrants, foreign tourists and “illegal aliens,” the researchers said.
Malaysian authorities arrested hundreds of undocumented immigrants and refugees in May in a crackdown that the United Nations says could push vulnerable groups into hiding and prevent them from seeking treatment.
Police said at the time that the operation was aimed at preventing people from traveling in the middle of the sidewalks.
In Pakistan, the majority of people surveyed blamed inadequate government controls on the Iranian border, followed by nationals, including pilgrims returning from Iran, and then people from China.
Across all four countries, higher education had little impact on whether respondents blamed a specific group, and college graduates were slightly less likely to blame certain people, the researchers said.
CLICK HERE TO OBTAIN THE LATEST DATA ON THE SITUATION OF COVID-19 IN MALAYSIA
