A/76/257 labour, child marriage and child trafficking, as families are pushed into negative coping mechanisms. 14 29. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of May 2021, in more than 53 countries, territories and zones, the most vulnerable did not have actual access to COVID-19 vaccines. Migrants and their families face obstacles, including the lack of access to information in a language they understand, costs and legal, administrative and practical barriers, such as identity cards, residence permits or pre-registration with the national insurance. In other cases, foreigners were not being included in vaccination campaigns. 15 Some countries lack protocols to facilitate equitable access to vaccination for undocumented migrants or the relevant procedures are unclear or burdensome, and some others require information on migration status as a requirement, often without effective firewall protection mechanisms. 16 Impact on employment and working conditions 30. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how migrants, including migrant women, provide a key contribution to local economies and societies and play a critical role in essential sectors of society – such as health and personal care, agrofood processing, transport, storage and delivery – enabling countries to continue to operate and provide services during the crisis. The importance of remittances in countries of origin has also showed the key role of migrants. 31. While essential, the sectors in which migrants work can also be deeply precarious. Many migrants carry out temporary and informal work exposed to unjust, unfavourable and unsafe working conditions, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19, to the extent of risking their lives. 17 Owing to fear of layoffs and need of income, many undocumented low-skilled and low-paid migrant workers have had to continue in-person work without the social protections enjoyed by other workers. 32. As soon as COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, many migrants experienced large-scale layoffs, withdrawal of wages and income losses. They were also victims of differential treatment, often being the first to face layoffs, compared with national workers. Loss of jobs and expiration of work permits have pushed many migrants into irregular situations, creating the conditions for abuse, trafficking and unscrupulous recruitment practices. 18 33. Migrant women have also been under great pressure to accept precarious working conditions, increasing their risk of labour and human rights violatio ns, including sexual harassment and violence at work. In 2020, owing to the pandemic, 8.5 million women migrant domestic workers on insecure contracts faced income loss and much greater risks of abuse and exploitation, in particular those women who could not return to their home country because of travel bans and border controls. 19 Within workplaces, including in informal and domestic settings, migrant women were more likely to experience gender-based violence. 20 Migrant health-care workers, the majority of whom are women, also faced serious risks during the COVID -19 __________________ 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21-10577 Submission by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). See https://reliefweb.int/report/world/covid-19-l-oim-alerte-sur-les-difficult-s-d-acc-s-desmigrants-aux-vaccins. Submissions by: Human Rights 360; Lawyers for Human Rights; PICUM. International Labour Organization (ILO), “Protecting migrant workers during the COVID -19 pandemic” (April 2020). Available from www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/ publications/WCMS_743268/lang--en/index.htm. ILO, “Ensuring fair recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic” (June 2020). Available from www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/publications/WCMS_748839/lang--en/index.htm. Submission by UN-Women. Forthcoming publication by ILO, entitled “Locked down and in li mbo: The global impact of COVID-19 on migrant worker rights and recruitment”. 7/22