A/78/180 Furthermore, many migrant workers under labour migration programmes are subject to de facto segregation, being compelled by law or circumstance to reside physically distant from the majority population. 47 41. Makeshift or modified housing in garages, barns, sheds or other such structures is often reconfigured to house migrant agricultural w orkers. 48 Generally, these structures are not meant for residences, are not compliant with fire codes and may pose risks to migrant worker health. When buildings are on worksites, they may have proximity to fertilizers and other hazardous chemicals and equipment. Overcrowding, lack of ventilation, lack of fire alarms and exits, lack of food storage and preparation facilities and lack of potable water and sanitation are also common problems with migrant worker housing. 49 In addition, particularly for employer-provided housing, lack of communication and transportation, isolation and segregation, lack of social and recreation space or facilities, lack of privacy and security, as well as employer surveillance and control are commonly reported problems. For women migrant workers, concerns over gender-responsive housing needs, such as locks on doors, separate bathrooms and privacy from male workers are notable concerns. 42. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic drew widespread attention to the low standard of much of the housing provided or available to migrants on temporary labour migration programmes. Crowded housing and lack of ventilation were a major risk factor for transmission of the virus, constituting a danger to them and to public health. In the Maldives when migrant workers were not paid wages for months during the COVID-19 lockdown, some reported being unable to buy soap to maintain adequate hygiene in overcrowded housing. Many temporary migrant workers in Australia were excluded from pandemic support packages and over 40 per cent of respondents in one survey shared that they feared they would be made homeless as a consequence. Although its initial pandemic response measures were widely praised, the approach of Singapore to its low-wage migrant workers greatly exacerbated their risk of infection and saw dormitory-housed workers account for the vast majority of its COVID-19 cases – more than 90 per cent of all cases by August 2020. 50 7. Social protection 43. Migrant workers face difficulties in accessing social protection systems designed for nationals and citizens, including pensions, social security and employment benefits, as well as parental, childcare and elderly care benefits owing to eligibility (often permanent residency requirements), cost and time constraints, limitations in portability and transferability of benefits, as well as owing to a lack of information and language barriers in countries of origin, transit and destination. Migrant workers are o ften excluded from social protection systems, and they are therefore especially vulnerable to economic shocks, unemployment and poverty, as they often do not enjoy the same rights and protection as nationals. Even if eligible, migrant workers face barriers in accessing unemployment insurance, parental and sick leaves, as well as disability insurance, pensions and other benefits, even though they may pay into these systems. At the same time, they risk losing entitlement to any existent social security benefi ts in their countries of origin owing to extended periods living abroad. Furthermore, even if eligibility requirements are met, migrant workers will likely face constraints in the __________________ 47 48 49 50 23-13823 OHCHR, We Wanted Workers, but Human Beings Came (see footnote 7). Giulia Tranchina, “Better solutions needed for migrant workers’ makeshift settlements in Italy. EU funding should not be used to build more container camps”, 4 April 2023. Available at www.hrw.org/ news/2023/04/04/better-solutions-needed-migrant-workers-makeshift-settlements-italy. IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, Libya: A Long Way from Home – Migrants’ Housing Conditions in Libya (2020). Available at https://dtm.iom.int/reports/libya-%E2%80%94-longway-home-%E2%80%93-migrants%E2%80%99-housing-conditions-libya-23-nov-2020. OHCHR, We Wanted Workers, but Human Beings Came (see footnote 7). 13/21