WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Soaring inflation, fragile job markets and shrinking access to healthcare and education are pushing millions of people in South and South-East Asia onto risky migration paths, the UN human rights office said on Thursday, as regional migration reaches historic highs.
The office said people across the region are migrating 'not by choice, but out of necessity,' driven by the systemic deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights at home. Poverty, unemployment, weak public services and climate stress are eroding livelihoods and leaving millions with few alternatives but to leave.
'Migration should be a choice, not a necessity born of desperation,' said Cynthia Veliko, head of the OHCHR Regional Office for South-East Asia.
'When people do not see a future for themselves at home - because their rights, such as decent work, adequate education and healthcare, are not available to them - they can be forced into unsafe migration and exploitation, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families.'
In 2024, more than 72 million international migrants originated from South and South-East Asia, a nearly 13 per cent increase from 2020. Almost a quarter of all international migrants worldwide now come from the region.
Youth and women are particularly affected by unemployment, low wages and gender-based discrimination, while climate change is increasingly disrupting agriculture and informal work.
Rising food and electricity prices and depreciating local currencies are placing a heavier burden on poorer households, which already spend more than half their income on food. Without reliable education, healthcare and stable work, families are increasingly turning to migration as a survival strategy.
The consequences are increasingly deadly. At least 2,514 migrants died across Asia in 2024, the highest toll ever recorded for the region and a 59 per cent increase from the previous year, according to UN migration data.
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