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Migrant Agricultural Workers’ Health, Safety and Access to Protections: A Descriptive Survey Identifying Structural Gaps and Vulnerabilities in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Carlos Colindres

    (Emergency and Public Health Consultant, Vancouver, BC V7T 1A2, Canada)

  • Amy Cohen

    (Department of Anthropology, Okanagan College, Vernon, BC V1B 2N5, Canada)

  • C. Susana Caxaj

    (School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada)

Abstract

In this paper, we provide descriptive data that characterize the health, safety, and social care environment of migrant agricultural workers in British Columbia, Canada. Through the administration of surveys ( n = 179), we gathered information in three domains: (1) living and working conditions; (2) barriers to rights, health, safety and advocacy/reporting; (3) accessibility of services. Our study confirms what predominantly qualitative studies and Ontario-based survey data indicate in terms of health, legal, and social barriers to care and protection for this population. Our findings also highlight the prevalence of communication barriers and the limited degree of confidence in government authorities and contact with support organizations this population faces. Notably, survey respondents expressed a strong intention to report concerns/issues to authorities while simultaneously reporting that they lacked the knowledge to initiate such complaints. These findings call into question government responses that task the agricultural industry with addressing access and service gaps that may be more effectively addressed by government agencies and service providers. In order to improve supports and protections for migrant agricultural workers, policies and practices should be implemented that: (1) empower workers to independently access health, social, and legal protections and limit workers’ dependence on their employers when help-seeking; (2) provide avenues for increased proactive inspections, anonymous reporting, alternative housing/employment and meaningful 2-way communication with regulators so that the burden of reporting is lessened for this workforce; (3) systematically address breaches in privacy, translation, and adequate workplace injury assessments in the healthcare system. Ultimately, the COVID-19 context has put into sharper focus the complex gaps in health, social and legal services and protections for migrant agricultural workers. The close chronology of our data collection with this event can help us understand the factors that have resulted in so much tragedy among this workforce.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Colindres & Amy Cohen & C. Susana Caxaj, 2021. "Migrant Agricultural Workers’ Health, Safety and Access to Protections: A Descriptive Survey Identifying Structural Gaps and Vulnerabilities in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3696-:d:528703
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. J. Adam Perry, 2018. "Living at Work and Intra-worker Sociality Among Migrant Farm Workers in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1021-1036, November.
    2. C. Susana Caxaj & Amy Cohen, 2019. "“I Will Not Leave My Body Here”: Migrant Farmworkers’ Health and Safety Amidst a Climate of Coercion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Chantal Robillard & Janet McLaughlin & Donald C. Cole & Biljana Vasilevska & Richard Gendron, 2018. "“Caught in the Same Webs”—Service Providers’ Insights on Gender-Based and Structural Violence Among Female Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 583-606, August.
    4. Iffath Unissa Syed, 2016. "Labor Exploitation and Health Inequities Among Market Migrants: A Political Economy Perspective," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 449-465, May.
    5. Krieger, N., 2012. "Methods for the scientific study of discrimination and health: An ecosocial approach," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(5), pages 936-945.
    6. Jenna Hennebry & Janet McLaughlin & Kerry Preibisch, 2016. "Out of the Loop: (In)access to Health Care for Migrant Workers in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 521-538, May.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Leah F. Vosko & Tanya Basok & Cynthia Spring & Guillermo Candiz & Glynis George, 2022. "Understanding Migrant Farmworkers’ Health and Well-Being during the Global COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: Toward a Transnational Conceptualization of Employment Strain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-19, July.
    3. Mathieu J. P. Poirier & Douglas Barraza & C. Susana Caxaj & Ana María Martínez & Julie Hard & Felipe Montoya, 2022. "Informality, Social Citizenship, and Wellbeing among Migrant Workers in Costa Rica in the Context of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-14, May.

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