Discrimination against migrants

India is becoming more and more global by the day. With the world's third largest population, it is growing to become a truly diverse and universal country. One of its most well known cities, Bangalore, has become the hub for startup and IT companies. It has also, in the recent years, shaped itself to become the neighborhood for many international as well as internal migrants(migrants from within India). Today, it is the home to migrants from all over the world who have settled down here to grasp the opportunities that this wondrous city has to offer.

However, with the increasing number of migrants, the discrimination against them is also increasing. People are being judged and distinguished based on appearance and ability more and more every day, and as a result, it is very hard for them to adapt to their workplaces or get access to basic services such as healthcare and insurance. I talked to some of these migrants and found that they are treated in the most despicable ways. Renese Koffi, a student studying business from the Ivory Coast, moved here three years ago and has gone through the most awful treatments here in Bangalore. "Indians are not open to other cultures, they don't give an opportunity to foreigners to be close with them. We are not welcomed here. For example, when we want to travel by auto, the auto driver sees that we are not from here and increases the price on the meter. He takes us by the long route so he can get more money. Even at the hospitals, international patients are charged more. It is not fair at all." Renese went on to tell me that at her university, all Africans, Arabs and other migrants from other countries are on one group and do not mix with the local Indian students. She also mentioned to me that most students often leave after a week as they are mistreated.

Studies show that discrimination against migrants is relatively more in large, metropolitan cities such as Bangalore as there are larger populations relocating for employment purposes or for a better standard of living. Most of these migrants are vulnerable to discrimination as most of them are illiterate and live in unsafe locations prone to downfalls. On the other hand, there are a lack of programs and administrations reaching out to the needs of migrants.

In a recent interaction, I found that landlords and housing societies are denying rent to these migrants based on religion, appearance, caste and sometimes even profession. Deborah Nadell - Leidenweber from the United States revealed to me that when her husband and her were looking for a home in Bangalore, the landlord increased the rent significantly. "I will never forget the first time we came to look for a home and were quoted a price for a property. The owner happened to be home when we visited and we were interested in the property, we were told that the price is different for us because we are "foreigners" and "white." I was shocked and appalled."

While talking to other internal migrants, I found that the opinion of most Indians has divided India into four parts namely : The South, The North, The East and The West. Each of these groups discriminate against people who are not from their part of India with the belief that migrants are "stealing the jobs of locals" and "taking away the opportunities" that their respective city or state has to offer. This blame is used as an excuse to discriminate and treat these migrants badly. Mr. Dharamveer Singh, a chef from Hariyana, said to me, "In April, in the year 2011, my first year here in Bangalore I had gone out for a party and was walking home after the party had gotten over. I was reaching the gate when I felt a sharp pang at the back of my head. Someone had hit me hard with a stick. I fell on my knees and was lying on the road helpless while my watch, my rings and my gold chain were taken from me. They hit me several times until I couldn't feel my body. I remember lying there unconscious until 1:30 until a security guard helped me up and took me to the hospital. That incident scared me but also made me think about why migrants are treated so badly. I was judged just because I wore a turban. That was truly the worst day of my life."

Incidents like these show that people in Bangalore and in fact other parts of India are not ready to welcome migrants and therefore, makes it difficult for these migrants to secure residency here.

In a recent article in "The Times of India" I read that according to the 2011 census, the largest migrant sending states are Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa among many others. This made me wonder why people migrant and found that there are several reasons. The largest metropolitan cities of India - Mumbia, Delhi, Kolkota and Bangalore are home to many of these migrants that relocate for medical purposes, better wages, family commitments and many more various reasons. However, what many people fail to realize and understand is that migrants largely contribute to our country. This fact is often overlooked and in my opinion, should be given more importance. They help our cities flourish but unfortunately, our cities lack the safety and provision of infrastructure to protect these migrants. To my mind, the government should reach out to migrants more and pay more attention to them so that their well-being is taken care of.