Abstract
This chapter aims to shed light on the experiences of Eritrean and Ethiopian migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Hague, the Netherlands. These include health (both physical and mental), economic and social effects. Experiences that were particular to women and children were also explored. Eighteen individual migrants varying in terms of their gender, country of origin (Eritrea or Ethiopia), profession, years of stay in the Netherlands, and marital status were interviewed using an in-depth interview guide. In addition, key informant interviews were held with representatives of two organizations working with migrant communities. An intersectionality lens was applied to frame the complex and interconnected challenges faced by migrants. Specifically, the concepts of precarious work and gender-based division of labor were used to frame findings related to financial impact and women’s experience with the pandemic, respectively. Research findings revealed intersecting layers of struggle that pose challenges to the lives of these migrants based on various factors such as language skills, employment, gender, duration of stay in the Netherlands and marital status.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Atchison, C. J., Bowman, L., Vrinten, C., Redd, R., Pristera, P., Eaton, J. W., & Ward, H. (2020). Perceptions and behavioural responses of the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey of UK adults. BMJ Open, 11(1), e043577.
Ayenew, B., & Pandey, D. (2020). Challenges and opportunities to tackle COVID-19 spread in Ethiopia. Journal of PeerScientist, 2(2), e1000014.
Cruwys, T., Stevens, M., & Greenaway, K. H. (2020). A social identity perspective on COVID- 19: Health risk is affected by shared group membership. British Journal of Social Psychology, 59(3), 584–593.
Della Rosa, A., & Goldstein, A. (2020). What does COVID-19 distract us from? A migration studies perspective on the inequities of attention. Social Anthropology, 28(2), 257–259.
Gelatt, J. (2020). Immigrant workers: Vital to the US COVID-19 response, disproportionately vulnerable. Migration Policy Institute. Available at: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrant-workers-us-covid-19-response#:~:text=March%202020-,Immigrant%20Workers%3A%20Vital%20to%20the,COVID%2D19%20Response%2C%20Disproportionately%20Vulnerable&text=Six%20million%20immigrant%20workers%20are,during%20the%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic. Accessed on 20 Mar 2021.
Gómez, G. M., & Andrés Uzín, G. J. P. (2021). Effects of COVID-19 on education and schools’ reopening in Latin America. In E. Papyrakis (Ed.), Covid-19 and international development. Springer.
Guadagno, L. (2020). Migrants and the COVID-19 pandemic: An initial analysis (Migration research series no 60). International Organization for Migration.
Huijsmans, H. (2020). Restaurants are empty, but the work continues: Freelance food delivery in times of COVID-19. https://issblog.nl/2020/05/18/COVID-19-restaurants-are-empty-but-the-work-continues-freelance-food-delivery-in-times-of-COVID-19-by-roy-huijsmans/. Accessed on 17 Mar 2021.
Kluge, H. H. P., Jakab, Z., Bartovic, J., D’Anna, V., & Severoni, S. (2020). Refugee and migrant health in the COVID-19 response. The Lancet, 395(10232), 1237–1239.
Kollender, E., & Nimer, M. (2020). Long-term exclusionary effects of COVID-19 for refugee children in the German and Turkish education systems: A comparative perspective, IPC–MERCATOR Policy Brief, July 2020.
Murshed, S. M. (2021). Consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for economic inequality. In E. Papyrakis (Ed.), Covid-19 and international development. Springer.
Nolan, R. (2020). ‘We are all in this together!’ COVID-19 and the lie of solidarity. Irish Journal of Sociology, 29(1), 1-2-106.
Norman, J. (2020). Gender and COVID-19: The immediate impact the crisis is having on women, British Policy and Politics at the London School of Economics (LSE), Blog entry, April 2020. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/gender-and-covid19/#:~:text=April%2023rd%2C%202020-,Gender%20and%20Covid%2D19%3A%20the%20immediate%20impact%20the,crisis%20is%20having%20on%20women&text=Women%20do%2C%20on%20average%2C%2060,less%20time%20for%20paid%20work. Accessed on 20 Mar 2021.
Ong’ayo, A. (2010). Ethiopian organisations in the Netherlands. In A. Warnecke (Ed.), Towards a comparative assessment of factors determining diaspora intervention in conflict settings: Somali and Ethiopian diaspora Organisations in Europe. Bonn International Centre for Conversion.
Pharos. (2019). Eritrese vluchtelingen. https://www.pharos.nl/factsheets/eritresevluchtelingen/. Accessed on 14 Nov 2020.
Pharos. (2020). English. https://www.pharos.nl/english/. Accessed on 14 Sept 2020.
Power, K. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the care burden of women and families. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1), 67–73.
Rauschenberg, C., Schick, A., Goetzl, C., Roehr, S., Riedel-Heller, S. G., Koppe, G., Durstewitz, D., Krumm, S., & Reininghaus, U. (2020). Social isolation, mental health and use of digital interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally representative survey. European Psychiatry, 64(1), e20. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.17
Sieffien, W., Law, S., & Andermann, L. (2020). Immigrant and refugee mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Additional key considerations. Canadian Family Physician, Mississauga, Canada. Available at: https://www.cfp.ca/news/2020/06/23/06-23-1. Accessed on 21 Mar 2021.
Siegmann, K. A. (2020). From clapping for essential workers to revaluing them. Global Labour Column, 339, 1–2.49.
Sterckx, L., Fessehazion, M. & Teklemariam B. E. (2018). Eritrean asylum status holders in the Netherlands. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research, the Hague, the Netherlands. Available at: https://www.scp.nl/english/Publications/Summaries_by_year/Summaries_2018/Eritrean_asylum_status_holders_in_the_Netherlands. Accessed on 21 Mar 2021.
Triandafyllidou, A. (2020). Commentary: Spaces of solidarity and spaces of exception at the times of Covid-19. International Migration, 58(3), 261.
Van Heelsum, A. (2017). Aspirations and frustrations: Experiences of recent refugees in the Netherlands. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40(13), 2137–2150.
Vieira, C. M., Franco, O. H., Restrepo, C. G., & Abel, T. (2020). COVID-19: The forgotten priorities of the pandemic. Maturitas, 136, 138–141.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fantu, B., Haile, G., Tekle, Y.L., Sathi, S., Demena, B.A., Shigute, Z. (2022). Experiences of Eritrean and Ethiopian Migrants During COVID-19 in the Netherlands. In: Papyrakis, E. (eds) COVID-19 and International Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82339-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82339-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82338-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82339-9
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)