Labour trafficking: Challenges and opportunities from an occupational health perspective

Ronda, Elena; Moen, Bente E.

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002440

Cited by 31 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Within the second highly rated dimension ‘Finance and migration’, the subdimensions ‘Deductions and migrant work’ and ‘Misled’ echo more with the notion of deception and coercion, as emphasised in the research by the HR school [ 9 , 38 ]. The ‘Health and safety’ dimension resonates with both schools: though the SDH school has been the one predominantly addressing occupational health, this is now increasingly investigated in the HR school [ 6 , 63 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, migrants working in sectors ’known to be exploitative’ who are identified as ‘trafficked’ may have similar health needs to those who are not or not [ 8 ]. In fact, researchers within the HR school, who have focused on migrant workers, have begun to take a continuum approach when studying extreme forms of labour exploitation [ 37 , 63 ]. They have increasingly referred to structural and occupational aspects of exploitation, traditionally the focus of the SDH school.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Building a better understanding of labour exploitation's impact on migrant health: An operational framework

et al. 2022

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Background There is limited evidence on labour exploitation’s impact on migrant health. This population is, however, often employed in manual low-skilled jobs known for poor labour conditions and exploitation risks. The lack of a common conceptualisation of labour exploitation in health research impedes the development of research measuring its effects on migrant health and, ultimately, our understanding of migrants’ health needs. Aim To develop an operational conceptual framework of labour exploitation focusing on migrant workers in manual low-skilled jobs. Methods Non-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit multidisciplinary experts on labour exploitation. An online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) was conducted. Experts: 1) generated statements describing the concept ‘labour exploitation’ focusing on migrants working in manual low-skilled jobs; 2) sorted generated statements into groups reflecting common themes; and 3) rated them according to their importance in characterising a situation as migrant labour exploitation. Multidimensional Scaling and Cluster Analysis were used to produce an operational framework detailing the concept content (dimensions, statements, and corresponding averaged rating). Findings Thirty-two experts sorted and rated 96 statements according to their relative importance (1 “relatively unimportant” to 5 “extremely important”). The operational framework consists of four key dimensions of migrant labour exploitation, distributed along a continuum of severity revealed by the rating: ‘Shelter and personal security’ (rating: 4.47); ‘Finance and migration’ (4.15); ‘Health and safety’ (3.96); and ‘Social and legal protection’ (3.71). Conclusion This study is the first to both generate an empirical operational framework of migrant labour exploitation, and demonstrate the existence of a "continuum from decent work to forced labour". The framework content can be operationalised to measure labour exploitation. It paves the way to better understand how different levels of exploitation affect migrant workers’ health for global policymakers, health researchers, and professionals working in the field of migrant exploitation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a better understanding of labour exploitation's impact on migrant health: An operational framework

et al. 2022

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“…Victims of CLT work long hours with little rest and may be exposed to pesticides and other hazardous chemicals. Children are at risk for physical injury if they lack protective gear or operate machinery without proper training or oversight (Cannon et al, 2018;Ronda-Perez & Moen, 2017;Zimmerman et al, 2011). Victims of CLT may develop musculoskeletal issues from repetitive motions and limb injuries.…”

Section: Health Impacts Of Traffickingmentioning

confidence: 99%

White Paper: Recognizing Child Trafficking as a Critical Emerging Health Threat

Peck¹,

Meadows‐Oliver

Hays³

et al. 2021

Journal of Pediatric Health Care

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Human trafficking is a pandemic human rights violation with an emerging paradigm shift that reframes an issue traditionally seen through a criminal justice lens to that of a public health crisis, particularly for children. Children and adolescents who are trafficked or are at risk for trafficking should receive evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive care from trained health care providers (HCPs). The purpose of this article was to engage and equip pediatric HCPs to respond effectively to human trafficking in the clinical setting, improving health outcomes for affected and at-risk children. Pediatric HCPs are ideally positioned to intervene and advocate for children with health disparities and vulnerability to trafficking in a broad spectrum of care settings and to optimize equitable health outcomes.

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“…Moreover, labor trafficking research directly relates to two subdisciplines of epidemiology. Occupational epidemiology studies the effects of workplace exposures on the frequency and distribution of disease (Checkoway et al, 1989) and implementing strategies from an occupational health perspective has been suggested as a way to combat labor trafficking (Ronda-Pérez & Moen, 2017). Social epidemiology examines the effects of social-structural factors on states of health (Honjo, 2004) and social epidemiologists are well-positioned to document and explain the forms of employment associated with labor trafficking and the relationship between precarious work and health (Muntaner, 2016).…”

Section: Conceptualizing Trafficking As a "Disease"mentioning

confidence: 99%

An Epidemiological Perspective on Labor Trafficking

Gallo¹,

Konrad

Thinyane³

2020

Journal of Human Trafficking

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Ending all forms of labor trafficking by 2030 has been prioritized within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Target 8.7), yet progress in combatting trafficking has been limited. Human trafficking is recognized as a global public health concern because of its widespread negative impacts on individual and population level health. This has led researchers, policymakers, and NGOs to frequently claim that trafficking has reached "epidemic proportions". If such is the case, then using tools from public health and epidemiology can help to generate novel insights in the way we conceptualize, research, and address the problem of trafficking. Using a methodological framework known as the Epidemiologic Problem Oriented Approach (EPOA), we analyze the various components of labor trafficking identification and response, drawing contextualized comparisons with infectious disease epidemiology to characterize labor trafficking as a "disease". This crossdisciplinary approach provides a well-defined conceptual organization of the components that play a role in understanding trafficking dynamics. Epidemiology is highly relevant in the study of trafficking and contributes to the growing research interest surrounding the intersection of public health and human trafficking. KEYWORDS Labor trafficking; public health; epidemiology There are no jobs in Sein's hometown in Myanmar, so he made the hard decision to look for work in Thailand. Sein has been working as a fisherman now for five years. Though the hours are long, and the conditions are harsh, he doesn't mind as he is able to provide for his family. Compared to his previous boss Ohnmar, Cho is a saint, and doesn't take it out on the fishers when the nets don't come up full. Ohnmar was brutal-on one trip the nets kept coming up empty and the crew had to stay out at sea a further 3 days than what they had planned. He didn't let them rest until the hold was full, and because the extended trip was unplanned, they ran out of drinking water. When they returned to port, Ohnmar refused to give extra time off in lieu of the extended time at sea, and only gave Sein a fraction of the salary that he had been promised. Ohnmar had said that this would teach the fishers for not working hard enough. If the fishers complained, Ohnmar would think of another punishment for disrespecting himoften keeping them onboard the boat while it was in port. Sein had often considered leaving, but needed the money that Ohnmar owed him. Ohnmar hadn't always been like this-they had grown up in the same village, and Ohnmar had been the one who initially told Sein about his work in Thailand. Three years after Sein joined him on the boat, Ohnmar had been promoted to the position of Chiu-the right-hand man of the captain. It seemed like Ohnmar wanted to prove he was right for the job and deserving of the increased authority (and pay) that the promotion included. Cho was different. He pushed Sein and the crew to work very long hours, but always recorded their days at sea accurately. They often ran trips ...

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Labour trafficking: Challenges and opportunities from an occupational health perspective

Abstract: In this essay for the collection on Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Health, Elena Ronda-Perez and colleague discuss ways occupational health services can detect and address labour trafficking.

Cited by 31 publications

References 6 publications

Building a better understanding of labour exploitation's impact on migrant health: An operational framework

Building a better understanding of labour exploitation's impact on migrant health: An operational framework

White Paper: Recognizing Child Trafficking as a Critical Emerging Health Threat

An Epidemiological Perspective on Labor Trafficking

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