Cambodian migrant children face added risk in Thailand

Of  97,060 migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar who were infected with Covid-19 between March last year and August this year, 4,202 of whom are under the age of 18 themselves. They are part of over 300,000 migrant workers’ children in Thailand who are in dire need of education and health care, children rights activist said, urging the government to take a more active part in protecting their basic rights and wellbeing.

In a seminar titled “Impact of Covid-19 on Migrant Children and Families” on Aug 19, Adisorn Kerdmonkol, a coordinator with the Migrant Working Group, said over 300,000 migrant children face a higher risk of rights violations since the Covid-19 pandemic began last year. Infection rates among migrant workers are expected to increase further in the third wave of the outbreak, he said, noting over 80,000 infections have been detected among migrant workers since April this year.

Linfah Upatcha, from World Vision Foundation of Thailand, said the decision to seal off residential camps around construction sites has adversely affected the physical and mental health of the migrants’ children who had to remain inside. “Many of the children are stressed out because they aren’t allowed to play with other children outside of the camp. They are confined in a 3×3 [metre] room, isolated from others during the pandemic,” she said.

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