Migration Patterns and Challenges for Indians Seeking Work Abroad: A Special Focus on South India

This paper, which focuses on the issues particular to those leaving India in the search of work, is authored by Dr. Bernard D’Sami, who heads the National Forum of Migrant Workers’ Rights, and also the department of History at Loyola College, Chennai. Dr. D’Sami has conducted extensive research on out-migration and asylum seekers, has attended the summer institute on ‘forced migration’ in the Refugee Studies programme of Oxford University, and has experience in organising refugee students at the national level. Presently he is involved in Participatory Action Research, with CARAM Asia and UNDP HIV-SSWA, to explore more deeply into the push and pull factors of outmigration and the HIV vulnerability of the migrant workers.