A/HRC/45/8 workers were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions, including child labour, before the pandemic.59 7. Refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons 42. The socioeconomic crisis emanating from COVID-19 has been disproportionally affecting people on the move, including migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons.60 43. While the pandemic has immobilized large parts of the world, armed conflicts and human rights violations have continued and those in need of protection have been affected by stricter border management imposed to contain the spread of the virus. In April 2020, UNHCR reported that at least 57 States had closed their borders with no exception for those seeking asylum.61 44. In 2019, there were 79.5 million forcibly displaced individuals globally, the majority of whom were hosted in developing countries 62 with already weak economic and health systems and restricted access to formal labour markets and services. 63 Sudden loss of livelihoods and limited access to humanitarian assistance are driving many refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons even further to the margins of society and deeper into poverty. 45. The current crisis reinforced the vulnerabilities of those suffering the consequences of protracted humanitarian crises. For example, internally displaced persons and returnees in Afghanistan have been exposed to harmful traditional practices and coping strategies such as early and forced marriages, indebtedness, child labour and forced begging. 64 In the Middle East, many are increasingly going into debt, as they are struggling due to rising food costs, an inability to pay rent, and forced evictions. 65 Humanitarian agencies have warned that refugees and internally displaced persons may increasingly resort to negative coping mechanisms, such as child labour, child marriage and transactional sex. 66 8. Migrant workers 46. Migrant workers, representing 4.7 per cent of the global labour pool (164 million workers, nearly half of whom are women) have been especially vulnerable to the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19. 67 The majority of them work in the informal economy, predominantly in jobs characterized by low wages and a lack of social protection. 47. Employers may pressure migrant workers to work despite health risks, impose longer working days, and refuse to pay their wages or cease employment without any compensation or notice. For example, in Spain, the situation of women migrants from 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 10 Information received from civil society organization Comité de Solidaridad Furukawa Nunca Más. See also www.furukawanuncamas.org/post/covid-19-exigimos-atenci%C3%B3n-urgente-atrabajadores-y-extrabajadores-de-furukawa-y-sus-familias. See, for example, Natalie Shobana Ambrose, “Malaysia’s marginalized and Covid-19”, The Asia Foundation, 13 May 2020. UNHCR, “Beware long-term damage to human rights and refugee rights from the coronavirus pandemic: UNHCR”, 22 April 2020. UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2019 (June 2020), pp. 2 and 22. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council, 18 June 2020. Available at www.unhcr.org/admin/hcspeeches/5eebac3a4/briefingunited-nations-security-council. See www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/afghanistan/document/afghanistan-humanitarianresponse-plan-2018-2021-june-2020-revision. UNHCR, “Syrian refugees profoundly hit by COVID-19 economic downturn”, press release, 16 June 2020. See also Global Protection Cluster, “Iraq: COVID-19 protection situation report as of 06 May 2020”. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Global Humanitarian Response Plan Covid-19: United Nations Coordinated Appeal April–December 2020 (May 2020), p. 13. Information received from ILO.