Emergency and Public Health Consultant, Vancouver, BC V7T 1A2, Canada.
Department of Anthropology, Okanagan College, Vernon, BC V1B 2N5, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 1;18(7):3696. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073696.
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 ( = 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.
本文提供了描述性数据，以描述加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省移民农业工人的健康、安全和社会关怀环境。通过问卷调查（=179），我们收集了三个领域的信息：（1）生活和工作条件；（2）权利、健康、安全和倡导/报告障碍；（3）服务的可及性。我们的研究证实了主要的定性研究和安大略省调查数据所表明的，针对这一人群的医疗、法律和社会保护障碍。我们的研究结果还突出了沟通障碍的普遍性，以及该人群对政府当局和与支持组织的接触的信心有限。值得注意的是，调查受访者表示强烈愿意向当局报告关切/问题，同时也表示他们缺乏启动此类投诉的知识。这些发现对政府的回应提出了质疑，政府将解决准入和服务差距的任务交给了农业部门，而这些差距可能更有效地由政府机构和服务提供商来解决。为了改善对移民农业工人的支持和保护，应实施以下政策和做法：（1）使工人能够独立获得健康、社会和法律保护，并限制工人在寻求帮助时对雇主的依赖；（2）提供更多主动检查、匿名报告、替代住房/就业和与监管机构进行有意义的双向沟通的途径，以减轻报告负担；（3）系统解决医疗保健系统中隐私、翻译和充分的工作场所伤害评估方面的违规行为。最终，COVID-19 大流行更加凸显了移民农业工人在健康、社会和法律服务及保护方面的复杂差距。我们的数据收集与这一事件的时间如此接近，可以帮助我们了解导致这一劳动力中出现如此多悲剧的因素。
