University of Portsmouth to study how coronavirus has impacted migrants and their families

The university has received £203,025 from the government to lead a study on Covid-19’s socio-economic and health impact of the pandemic on international female migrants and their families at home, in Indonesia.

Lead by Professor Saseendran Pallikadavath, the study is one of 20 being carried out across the UK, for which the government has dished out £7.2m in funding.

Professor Pallikadavath said: ‘There are no studies on the impact of Covid-19 on the 1.3 million women from Indonesia working abroad, mainly in the Middle East and south east Asia, as maids and carers in private homes.

‘These hundreds of thousands of women leave behind their families to work in positons where they are particularly vulnerable to neglect.

‘For example, women in such roles routinely lose access to health care, have their wage cut or delayed indefinitely.’

The study, which is expected to take 18 months to complete, will help to identify the communities most at risk from coronavirus due to long-term conflict, food and water shortages, and crowded living conditions.

Professor Pallikadavath’s project will gather reliable data on the health, economic and social welfare of female migrants and their families and make policy recommendations so that the Indonesian government can take timely action, enable access to Covid-19 tests and treatments and provide wider economic and social support.

SEE MORE: Vomiting and diarrhoea could be coronavirus symptoms in kids new study shows

Speaking about the research, business secretary Alok Sharma said: ‘Defeating coronavirus is a truly global endeavour, which is why we’re backing Britain’s scientists and researchers to work with their international counterparts to find tech solutions to treat and combat this virus around the world.

‘By backing the University of Portsmouth’s pioneering research project in Indonesia to understand the impact of Covid-19 on female migrants and their families, we are equipping some of the most vulnerable communities with the resources they need to tackle pandemics now and in the future.’

Government funding will be managed by UK aid programmes, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.