Pakistani migrant workers’ social practices to deal with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

This qualitative research investigates the impact of the lockdowns (which started in March 2020) and other factors on Pakistani migrant workers’ food access and consumption practices in Kuala Lumpur. It also explores how they managed food supply. The article drives data from 14 in-depth informal interviews conducted through WhatsApp messenger and face to face. The qualitative interviews were categorized into themes and were analyzed. It used the concepts of social practices and the more proximate structural layers to assert that marginalized groups used their rationale and choices to access food and survived in intense social pressure or returned to their home country. The migrant workers’ narratives revealed that they did not have work for around seven months; thus, they had no wages. However, as a rule, many of the migrant workers’ one month's wages were still not paid by their employers, which the workers were received through weekly installments for food during the lockdowns. As a result, most of the workers’ wages and savings were exhausted. Thus, they started seeking help for food from their community groups, friends, and the local Malaysians in their neighborhood and other cities. Most workers complained that once their wages were exhausted, they did not receive support from their employers. Thus, the workers had abandoned beverages and sweets dishes; and rarely cooked fish and beef. However, almost all respondents in this research had received food support from their community members. The study found that android mobile phones, cheap internet, social media, and close networking enabled the migrant workers to navigate financial and food supply during the pandemic. The study concludes that during a health crisis like the pandemic and consequent strict measures by the governments, the food security of the migrant workers (the vulnerable groups) at the grassroots level could easily be ensured with the community's help, networking, and cheap mobile technology.