Growing up, I was privileged enough to have had a helper at home. Since I was young, she would talk to me worriedly about how her crops back home, maintained by her sister and brother-in-law, kept failing. The rainfall in their village had significantly reduced, she told me the wells they used to play in as children had turned dry since she had left. She decided to move here to work as a way to support her mother and daughter back home.

But why do they even move here in the first place, working so far from home? The obvious answer seems that whatever work is there back home doesn’t seem to be working out. Some of the reasons can be due to the economy getting worse or lack of opportunities, but climate change is also a possible reason!

First, it is important to distinguish between two kinds of climate migrants; those who move as the place they are from is becoming unliveable and those who move for better opportunity and for long-term reasons. Some reasons for the first kind of migrants can be extreme heat, rising sea levels, flooding, etc. (This article by the New York Times is very informative about this issue, not to mention the stunning visuals.) Sometimes, even political conflict can be worsened by some form of climate crisis in some countries and this can make the place uninhabitable (Abel 2019). But most Indian migrants who travel to more urban cities within India or come overseas to countries like Singapore are the second kind. They do not always experience extreme climate events; some studies suggest the opposite in fact. They can travel overseas due to relative financial security in the short-term. This financial security is needed to be able to pay agents to find jobs overseas and invest in moving somewhere far from home. However, they are commonly working in the agriculture sector, which is starkly affected by climate changes, which can pose threats to financial security in the long-term (Sedova, Kalkhul 2020). Besides, the value of the currency in countries like Singapore and Malaysia is higher when converted back to rupees. This can also be a pulling factor for migrant workers.

Honestly, I didn’t consider the fact that migrant workers must have some sort of financial stability before moving here, but it makes a lot of sense! This just shows how much they need to put on the line socially, to move here to work; the decision doesn’t come easy for them. Therefore, I hope Singaporeans are more considerate towards these groups of people, such that we breed a community that is welcoming and accepting of their presence!

~ Yalini

(Cover Photo by Pixabay from Pexels)

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