Labor trafficking among migrant populations: a scoping review and qualitative interview study with stakeholders

Labor trafficking of children and youth in the United States: A scoping review

Background As societies and health systems are increasingly digitally transformed, many health information are provided digitally. Digital health information may reduce barriers to health systems known to be more common in persons with a migrant than native origin. We performed a scoping literature to evaluate evidence on digital information seeking by migrant populations. Methods In January 2020 we conducted a literature search (Web of Science, MEDLINE, CINAHL) using terms and synonyms for migrants, health, digital media and information seeking, limited to publications in English. Two researchers independently rated first titles and then abstracts for suitability, obtaining consensus at each step. Primary target group, health topic and related life phase, country, and primary study question were extracted from remaining manuscripts. Data on digital health information seeking will be extracted from full texts. Results After title and abstract screening 41 from 315 articles remained. 25 articles focused primarily on migrant populations, 16 ran analyses by migrant status or ethnicity. Dominant populations were Latinos, Hispanics and Asians. Studies were performed in North America (n = 32), Europe, Asia and Australia (each n = 3). Seven papers were on maternal and child health, four on child and adolescent and 30 on adult health. Use of digital technologies is very frequent in most migrant populations. Impact of digital health information vs. traditional information was seldom investigated. In Adults general health, HIV and Cancer were most frequent topics. Further data on impact, preferences, barriers, and context will be presented. Conclusions Studies indicate frequent use of digital health information both on general health and specific health topics. The many North American studies indicate an advanced digital transformation of health promotion and care. Full texts will further reveal potential and limitations of digital information seeking and services for migrants. Key messages Digital health information seeking is common in migrant populations. Data on digital health information seeking is as heterogenous as migrant populations themselves, current evidence is limited to allow recommendations on design and implementation of such services.

Characterization of international migration movements toward Chile: A scoping review of scientific articles and official reports

Effective strategies in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination interventions to increase uptake in rural, low socioeconomic, indigenous and migrant populations: A scoping review.

IntroductionFair work conditions are essential for promoting health among workers, communities, and society. Yet, historically farmworkers have been impacted by precarious and exploitative work conditions. Given the scarce research in Michigan with farmworkers, in 2019 we developed the Michigan Farmworker Project (MFP), guided by community-based participatory principles and in partnership with state and local organizations. This study assesses qualitative data collected from the first study of the MFP, specifically perceptions, knowledge, and experiences related to exploitative work and labor trafficking.MethodWe employed a framework analysis approach with 56 in-depth interviews with farmworkers (migrant, seasonal, H-2 A) and stakeholders from different service areas (social, educational, health care, legal and outreach) in Michigan.FindingFindings show the following emergent themes: (1) deceptive recruitment, (2) abuse of worker social vulnerability, (3) exploitative and hazardous work conditions, (4) coercion and threats, (5) wage theft, (6) document retention, (7) isolation and employer control, (8) confinement and physical and sexual violence, (9) experiences and perceptions of labor trafficking, and (10) fragmented systems and policy failures, underscoring the need for integrated federal, state and local regulatory responses to anti-trafficking efforts.ConclusionExploitation of workers can be prevented by an independent regulatory body that enforces accountability and transparency from employers throughout the employment process. Federal and state level efforts on policies that promote decent and fair employment are sustainable development goals needed to address labor exploitation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Guestworkers are a critical labor component of many industries considered essential to U.S infrastructure. Despite their essential role in the U.S. labor force, guestworkers are vulnerable to exploitative labor practices. This research aims to document guestworkers’ experiences in the Louisiana’s crawfish industry, and to demonstrate the marginalized role of guestworker labor in a major Louisiana industry. METHODS: News articles were reviewed to draw upon examples of workers’ experiences across the spectrum of labor abuse, ranging from worker mistreatment and non-payment of wages to workplace safety hazards and labor trafficking. Data on COVID-19 outbreaks at food processing plants reported by the Louisiana Department of Health were also evaluated. RESULTS:COVID-19 outbreaks at food processing plants in Louisiana resulted in the greatest number of cases in all state workplaces, representing about one in every five outbreak cases. As of March 2021, there were forty-one outbreaks and 1059 cases. Although not all the outbreaks occurred at seafood processing plants, more than one hundred workers at three Louisiana crawfish farms developed symptoms of COVID-19. Two whistleblower accounts filed with representation from the Seafood Workers’ Alliance, a New Orleans-based worker collective, depicted unsafe working and living conditions and a disregard of public health COVID-19 recommendations. CONCLUSIONS:The COVID-19 pandemic compounded guestworkers’ vulnerability to include a lack of public health protective measures in addition to longstanding labor abuses. This research highlights structural determinants of health inequities, such as unsafe and exploitative working conditions; and examines local public health approaches that can bring attention and resources to labor issues. As public health increases its focus on social and structural determinants of health, it can contribute to improved labor conditions for guestworkers. KEYWORDS: guestworkers, crawfish, labor rights, public health, COVID-19

To summarize available curricula and identify gaps in publicly available or published educational resources for healthcare professionals on labor and organ trafficking. The following databases were searched to January 2022: Cochrane, Embase, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Additional educational resources were added through snowball method and gray literature search. Inclusion criteria were materials for healthcare professionals or trainees on labor or organ trafficking published in any year or language. Exclusion criteria were empirical or survey research. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist was used. Of the 37 resources which met criteria, 32 (86.5%) defined labor trafficking, 24 (64.9%) described indicators or warning signs, 18 discussed prevention (48.6%), 16 (43.24%) included child labor, 9 (24.3%) were eligible for Continuing Medical Education credit, 8 (21.6%) included organ trafficking, 3 mentioned race or racism (8.12%), and 3 (8.12%) considered trainee education. Labor and organ trafficking directly inhibits progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 10, 12, and 16. This scoping review reveals minimal comprehensive published resources for healthcare professionals, which challenges their ability to address human trafficking.

Introduction: Migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs) are a highly marginalized population that have historically been exempt from social and labor protections even though agriculture ranks among the most dangerous and lowest-paying occupations in the U.S. Despite the essential role they have in our society, these workers are exposed to a wide range of environmental and occupational exposures, as well as social risk factors such as labor exploitation and labor trafficking.Methods: The Michigan Farmworker Project, a community-based participatory study, assesses the working and living conditions of adult MSFWs. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 34 Latina/o farmworkers (predominantly from Mexico or of Mexican descent) and 21 key stakeholders in various regions of the state of Michigan (Fall 2019). We assessed indicators of labor exploitation, perceptions and awareness of labor exploitation and labor trafficking in the context of environmental and occupational exposures. Results: Our initial analysis suggests that labor exploitation is intrinsically related to the environmental, occupational, and psychosocial factors of the working environment for these workers. Emergent themes indicate that social vulnerability (e.g., being undocumented), excessive and hazardous working conditions, and dehumanization of the workers exacerbate labor exploitation and have an impact on farmworkers’ health. Workers’ awareness and perceptions of labor exploitation and labor trafficking is shaped by the historical vulnerability and marginalization of the social and working conditions of farmworkers. Additional thematic analysis will be completed by August 2020.Conclusions: Findings will allow us to understand what constitute the multiple risk factors related to environmental and occupational health, including “exploitation” and “forced labor”, and will inform actions to facilitate better service provision and health interventions for MSFWs in Michigan. Findings will inform the development of a larger community-based participatory epidemiological study where we can quantify environmental and occupational exposures and connect these exposures to exploitative labor practices in Michigan.

We set out to map the (1) living/occupational hazards, (2) health outcomes, and (3) barriers to care that exist for pregnant labor-trafficked people. Eight databases were systematically searched based on inclusion criteria. Five papers were eligible for inclusion. Data on study characteristics, social determinants, hazardous exposures, health outcomes, and barriers to care were extracted and synthesized. Common risk factors and occupational/living hazards were identified. Both were thematically connected with barriers to care and a host of adverse health outcomes. More importantly, a significant gap was discovered with no disaggregated quantitative data on the experience of pregnancy among labor-trafficked people. The interaction of risk factors, occupational/living hazards, and barriers to care experienced by pregnant labor-trafficked people may influence their susceptibility to adverse health outcomes. We need population-based studies, informed by those with lived experience of labor trafficking to examine the experience of pregnancy for labor-trafficked people to improve intervention and support efforts for this population.

Disadvantaged and disenfranchised in bereavement: A scoping review of social and structural inequity following expected death

Background: Digital health interventions are suggested to improve vaccine coverage and awareness in the general population. However, given the scarcity of information within migrant populations, this scoping review aims to identify existing evidence on digital health interventions designed to improve vaccination and health outcomes among this social group. Methods: In this scoping review, we searched CENTRAL, PubMed, and Scopus for observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCT). Two independent reviewers screened articles, performed data extraction and synthesis, and assessed bias risk using CovidenceⓇ. Bias was evaluated with the Cochrane RoB 2, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), or JBI tool. We analyzed digital health interventions aiming to boost vaccination rates and awareness among immigrant populations, evaluating barriers and facilitators. The focus was on vaccines such as COVID 19, HPV, Hepatitis B, Influenza, childhood vaccines. Targeting immigrants, primarily from South and East Asia, the Middle East, and Hispanic/Latinx populations. The interventions of interest included digital appointment reminders, mobile applications, messaging platforms, and digital storytelling. Findings: Out of the 673 studies initially identified, 19 met the criteria for data extraction and synthesis. Published between 2012 and 2024, these included six quasi experimental studies, five cross-sectional studies, four randomized control trials, three qualitative studies and one survey. Research spanned several continents and countries such as North America, Germany, China, Jordan,Turkey and Uganda. The role of digital tools in increasing the vaccination rate must be reinforced, with particular emphasis on the personalized content of the message for recipients. The measurement tools influencing vaccination rates are not only diverse but also complex. They encompass a wide range of factors, from knowledge about immunization to emotions and vaccine intention, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the issue. Several factors interfere with vaccination rates (e.g., language barriers, costs, long wait times, scheduling difficulties, lack of transportation, and child support). Some confounders may impact the effectiveness and uptake of vaccination programs in undocumented immigrants from seeking vaccination services, such as socioeconomic status, education level, language barriers, cultural beliefs and practices, distrust in the healthcare system, legal status and fear of deportation. Interpretation: Digital health interventions show promise in enhancing vaccination awareness among migrant populations. Findings from this scoping review suggest that these interventions should be customized for specific populations, taking into account barriers, facilitators, and cultural beliefs.

Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes with intense rainfall and storm surges, are posing increasing challenges to local communities worldwide. These hazards not only result in substantial property damage but also lead to significant population displacement. Federal disaster assistance programs are crucial for providing financial support for disaster response and recovery, but the allocation of these resources often unequal due to the complex interplay of environmental, social, and institutional factors. Relying on datasets collected from diverse sources, this study employs a structural equation model to explore the complex relationships between disaster damage (DD), social vulnerability (SV), public disaster assistance (PDA), the national flood insurance (NFI), and population migration (PM) across counties in the contiguous US. Our findings reveal that communities with lower SV tend to experience higher levels of DD across US counties. SV is negatively associated with PM, PDA, and NFI, both directly and indirectly. Furthermore, PDA is positively linked to PM, whereas DD has a direct negative effect on PM but an indirect positive effect through PDA.

Purpose: This study aims to explain the vulnerability of institutional management practices of water resources, agent practices, and system reproduction that can potentially cause social vulnerability in society. Theoretical reference: Structuration theory was chosen because this theory can explain structural or institutional vulnerability seen from practices in water resources management. Method: A qualitative approach using the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method was employed to map the social vulnerability of management structures. NVivo mind map analysis and geographic information system analysis were used to strengthen the relationship between social practices and vulnerability information through drought maps. Results and Conclusion: The results of the study show that resource management is vulnerable to maintaining old patterns or habits because agents are unable to break through institutional systems and structures do not have authority, and have no bargaining position. Reproduction of social systems takes place in accordance with ongoing social structures that traverse space and time. The forestry organization KPH Sumedang has the authority to manage water resources around the forestry area. Vulnerability becomes a phenomenon of water user communities on the forest's edge. Discursive and recursive practices of actors/agents perpetuate the social structure of water users, such as the potential vulnerability of the social structure of water user communities and practices that encourage social vulnerability. Implications of research: This study has shed light on the community vulnerability related to the management of water resources by the forest edge communities. In addition, this study has given insight into the vulnerability of the social structure that can be seen from the practices of water users in village communities on the edge of the forest. Originality/value: The originality lies in how this research scrutinizes the social vulnerability model in managing water resources in communities in villages on the edge of the forest. So far, vulnerability has been studied more often after a disaster occurs.

Existing literature suggests that transgender women (TW) may be at high risk for adverse mental health due to stress attributed to combined experiences of stigma and complex social and structural vulnerabilities. Little research has examined how these co-occurring experiences relate to mental health. We aimed to test a theoretically driven conceptual model of relationships between stigma, social and structural vulnerabilities, and mental health to inform future intervention tailoring. Partial least square path modeling followed by response-based unit segmentation was used to identify homogenous clusters in a diverse community sample of United States (US)-based TW (N = 1418; 46.2% White non-Hispanic). This approach examined associations between latent constructs of stigma (polyvictimization and discrimination), social and structural vulnerabilities (housing and food insecurity, unemployment, sex work, social support, and substance use), and mental health (post-traumatic stress and psychological distress). The final conceptual model defined the structural relationship between the variables of interest within stigma, vulnerability, and mental health. Six clusters were identified within this structural framework which suggests that racism, ethnicism, and geography may be related to mental health inequities among TW. Our findings around the impact of racism, ethnicism, and geography reflect the existing literature, which unfortunately shows us that little change has occurred in the last decade for TW of color in the Southern US; however, the strength of our evidence (related to sampling structure and sample size) and type of analyses (accounting for co-occurring predictors of health, i.e., stigma and complex vulnerabilities, reflecting that of real-world patients) is a novel and necessary addition to the literature. Findings suggest that health interventions designed to offset the negative effects of stigma must include anti-racist approaches with components to reduce or eliminate barriers to resources that contribute to social and structural vulnerabilities among TW. Herein we provide detailed recommendations to guide primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts. This study demonstrated the importance of considering stigma and complex social and structural vulnerabilities during clinical care and design of mental health interventions for transgender women who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological distress. Specifically, interventions should take an anti-racist approach and would benefit from incorporating social support-building activities.

There has been a growing number of sexual health and blood-borne virus (SHBBV) surveys specifically administered to migrant populations. The purpose of this scoping review is to collate available information about how SHBBV surveys have been administered in migrant populations and the effect that mode of administration has on data quality, reliability and other practical considerations, e.g. response rates (RR) and social desirability bias. A methodological framework for scoping reviews was applied. SHBBV survey studies administered to international migrants published since 2000 were included if they contained some description of mode of administration. Ninety one studies were identified for inclusion from Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Google Scholar and supplementary grey literature. 'Interview only' was the most common mode of administration (n = 48), predominately comprising face-to-face interviews. Thirty six studies reported data from 'self-completed' surveys only, with pen-and-paper being most common (n = 17). Few studies (n = 7) combined interview and self-completed methods of survey administration. Sixty one studies did not report (or only partially reported) RR or the data necessary to calculate RR. Of the studies that reported RR, most were missing other key information including method of recruitment, consent procedures and whether incentives were offered. Strengths and limitations of all administration modes are summarised. Guidelines to inform future SHBBV survey research in migrant populations are presented.