of which lack adequate health services, clean water and sanitation. In some OSCE participating States, asylum procedures have also been suspended. In others, asylum seekers and refugees have been moved to temporary camp settlements or closed facilities under measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.103 The vulnerabilities of women among asylum seekers and refugees arises from the fact that they are often accompanied by their children. Overcrowding in camps and the lack of security also pose particular risks to women and girls of sexual and gender-based violence.104 In addition, border closures and travel restrictions may lead women asylum-seekers, as well as migrants, to use alternative and more dangerous routes. This, in turn, leaves them vulnerable to human trafficking in transit and destination countries.105 Recommended actions to protect women’s rights When closing international borders, analyse the impacts of long-term closure on women cross-border workers and consider schemes for income/job protection that are recognized in both the country of origin and of destination. For instance, bilateral agreements should incorporate protection for all migrant workers during emergency situations, and should explicitly address the particularly vulnerable situation of women migrants. When enacting social protection schemes during emergencies, address the risk of poverty for female-headed households that depend on remittance income. During emergencies, increase gender-sensitive inspection and oversight of sectors that employ large numbers of women migrant workers, and ensure the capacity of inspectors to recognize and respond to signs of gender-based exploitation and abuse. Devise safe passage schemes that enable women in conflict-affected territories, women who are internally displaced or women seeking asylum to travel across borders for essential services, to reunify with family members or to reach safe destinations. 103 Reidy, E., “The COVID-19 Excuse? How Migration Policies Are Hardening Around the Globe”, The New Humanitarian website, 17 April 2020, <https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2020/04/17/ coronavirus-global-migration-policies-exploited>. 104 See: Care International, “Stranded and Forgotten: Bosnia’s Migrants and Refugees Left to Themselves”, 12 April 2020, <https://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases/stranded-and-forgotten-bosnias-migrants-andrefugees-left-to-themselves>; and Women in Exile, “#Social Distancing Is a Privilege: Bernburg Lager in SachsenAnhalt Covid-19, Sexual Harassment and Violence in the Lagers”, 28 May 2020, <https://www.women-in-exile.net/ en/soziale-distanz-ist-ein-privileg-bernburg-lager-in-sachsen-anhalt-covid-19-sexuelle-belaestigungund-gewalt-in-den-lagern/>. 105 See: OSCE and UN Women, “Addressing Emerging Human Trafficking Trends and Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, 30 July 2020, <https://www.osce.org/odihr/human-trafficking-COVID-19-report>. 33