Even before the war, few households had access to running water.
George, Moradeke, Luciana… Like them, they are a legion of unknown heroes who face the reality of migration every day.
We never think of them, but public service workers are at the frontlines providing basic services to migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
They are the ones who deal, not only with water, sanitation, healthcare, housing, education, and administrative support, but also provide services that are critical in emergency response, disasters, displacement, and reconstruction.
About 258 million people – one in every 30 – were living outside their countries of birth in 2017.
Because of them, the level of public schooling will drop.
Moreover, some private companies are now exploiting what is presented as a migrants’ crisis for profit.
Needs that should be met by public services are delegated to private companies.
As George, Moradeke, Luciana and many others show every day, public service workers and their unions are uniquely placed to facilitate the addressing of global forced displacements happening in our century.
Geneviève Gencianos is the migration programme coordinator at Public Services International.