Strengthening Protection, Rights and Empowerment of Internal Migrant Workers through Research, Legal Awareness, Organisation and Advocacy.
A National Gathering for Migrant Justice
Don Bosco for Migrants (DB4M) in collaboration with the Province of Tricy organised a two-day National Capacity Building Programme bringing together Salesian provinces, partner organisations, migrant help desk personnel and labour-rights practitioners from across India. The orientation reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants while strengthening coordinated responses across the DB4M network.
Day One: Research, Rights and Systems
The inaugural session was graced by the Vice Provincial and Economer of the Salesian Province of Trichy together with the Vicar General of the Diocese of Trichy. The Vice Provincial reflected on the Sagrada Família Basilica, noting that magnificent achievements are built by countless often-unseen workers, much like India’s migrant workforce. He challenged participants to make the ‘invisible’ visible by recognising migrants as co-builders of society.
A major highlight was the release of Fr. Francis Bosco’s research publication of the DB4M network, ‘The Invisible Workforce’, which documents the realities, vulnerabilities and discrimination faced by migrant workers in sectors such as brick kilns, textiles and waste picking. The evidence-based study provides an important foundation for advocacy, policy engagement and rights-based programming.
The National Migrant MIS Dashboard was also launched. The platform standardises case management, documentation, reporting, referrals and evidence generation, strengthening collaboration among Migrant Help Desks across India.
Technical sessions examined India’s labour landscape, labour codes, interstate migrant worker protections, government welfare schemes, portability of entitlements and the role of trade unions.
Day Two: From Learning to Action
The second day focused on brick kiln workers, garment workers, migrant helpline operations, case management, source destination coordination and province-wise action planning. Participants developed concrete strategies to strengthen Migrant Help Desks and improve coordinated interventions nationwide.
Key Messages
• The Economer emphasised that migrants must be welcomed as a solution rather than viewed as a problem, recognising their indispensable contribution to society and the economy.
• The Vicar General of the Diocese of Trichy appreciated the Salesians’ leadership in migrant ministry and highlighted how the Diocese welcomes migrant communities, including celebrating liturgies in migrants’ own languages wherever possible so that they truly experience the Church as home.
• Fr. Ratna, National Director of DB4M, stressed the need to move from isolated ways of working to one coordinated national network with uniform services, standardised documentation, common reporting formats and a shared MIS platform. He underlined that consistent data collection and reporting will strengthen accountability, collaboration, advocacy and service delivery across every province.
Acknowledgements
DB4M expresses sincere gratitude to the Salesian Province of Trichy, especially the Provincial, Vice Provincial and Economer, for their encouragement and generous support. Special appreciation is extended to Fr. Felix, Fr. Jude and Fr. Sebastian for their meticulous planning and coordination from preparation through completion. Heartfelt thanks are also due to the Rector, Administrator, confreres and the entire Manikandam community for their warm hospitality, accommodation and arrangements, and to all resource persons, participants and partner organisations for enriching the programme.
Conclusion
The orientation concluded with renewed commitment to build a unified national migrant support ecosystem rooted in the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching. Strengthened by the release of ‘The Invisible Workforce’, the launch of the National MIS Dashboard and province-wise action plans, participants returned committed to ensuring that every migrant worker is welcomed, protected, accompanied and empowered with dignity.
