It is hard to work with cross border migrants in Mumbai

[Shankar Talwar]

Mumbai attracts migrants from other parts of India and across the border. There are several migrants from the neighboring Nepal and Bangladesh. Bangladeshi migrants are more vulnerable if they are staying illegally in the country. Police crack downs on such migrants are very common for a variety of reasons. With such crackdowns happening frequently, it is more difficult to access the migrant community and provide them with HIV/AIDS prevention services. At times, it is even difficult to identify the community as they try to hide their identity. Although a large majority of the migrants are powerless, poor, and highly vulnerable souls, some are linked to crime. The following article of Times of India today provides a sense of how migrants are persecuted if they are illegal.