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A Path to Social Safety for Migrant Workers | Ashif Shaikh | TED
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A Path to Social Safety for Migrant Workers | Ashif Shaikh | TED

Understanding the Migrant Experience

The Reality of Migration

  • Many attendees identify as migrants seeking better opportunities for themselves and their families, with 750 million workers migrating within their countries.
  • Unlike many, a significant number of these migrants are driven by survival rather than opportunity, often facing poverty and low wages without safety nets.
  • Migrants frequently encounter hunger, debt, and exploitation; one job loss or health emergency can trap them in poverty.

India's Internal Migration Landscape

  • India is highlighted as the fastest-growing economy with 200 million internal migrants contributing significantly to its GDP yet lacking adequate safety nets.
  • Despite having a robust safety-net system with numerous benefits available for the poor, access remains challenging for migrants due to lack of awareness and complex requirements.

Addressing Systemic Issues

  • The Migrant Resilience Collaborative aims to build resilience and dignity among migrant communities through a two-pronged strategy involving direct support and feedback mechanisms.
  • In just over two years, this initiative has become the largest grassroots-led collaborative for migrants globally, assisting over three million households in accessing social security benefits.

Suresh's Story: A Personal Perspective on Migration

Suresh's Journey

  • Suresh Waidande shares his experience as a daily wage worker from Satara district who migrated to Mumbai seeking better opportunities for his family.
  • He recounts his first job earning less than 50 cents USD per day and highlights various challenges faced by daily laborers regarding payment and job security.

Awareness and Support Systems

  • Organizations like Jan Sahas provide crucial information about workers' rights and offer support against injustices faced in the workplace.
  • Suresh emphasizes that the development of any society relies heavily on the hard work of laborers, quoting poet Annabhau Sathe on the importance of workers' contributions.

Future Directions: Scaling Support for Migrants

Anticipating Increased Migration

  • With climate change expected to drive unprecedented levels of migration, there is an urgent need to scale programs across South and Southeast Asia.
Channel: TED
Video description

Hundreds of millions of migrant workers travel within their countries to seek out means of survival — often leaving behind all they know for months or even years. Many face poverty and exploitation, and they need a robust social safety net to protect them, says migrant advocate and 2023 Audacious Project grantee Ashif Shaikh. He shares how his grassroots organization Migrants Resilience Collaborative is making life-changing benefits like social security and health care accessible to those who need them while also amplifying migrant voices — paving the way towards a world that supports the workers actually building it. (This ambitious idea is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.) If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas: https://ted.com/membership Follow TED! X: https://twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit https://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/ashifshaikh https://youtu.be/FzhI2D_kaCY TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #TEDTalks #migrants