Migrant workers face challenges such as dangerous working conditions, exploitative employers, assaults, and forced labor. The United Nations and other organizations have taken steps to define and defend their rights, but issues such as wage theft, hazardous working conditions, poor housing, and physical and sexual assaults persist. Child labor and limited access to healthcare are also problems.
Migrant workers can face challenges such as dangerous working conditions, exploitative employers, assaults and forced or slave labour. The United Nations, among other organizations, have taken steps to define and defend the rights of migrant workers, including undocumented immigrants who do not have the same legal status as workers who are in a country with government consent. Such workers can be found in domestic settings, manufacturing centers, manufacturing plants, and agricultural settings, performing a variety of labor. This often includes unskilled jobs.
A problem for some migrant workers is the coercion of work. Undocumented workers may be unpaid or poorly paid, and may have identification documents confiscated by supervisors who warn them that reporting the situation to law enforcement will result in deportation. Wage theft, where employers promise to pay wages and fail to match agreed payments, is another issue for migrant workers. Some are even lured to a country under false pretenses; for example, a worker may be promised a job in a hospital and then sent to a private home as a cleaner.
Hazardous working conditions are also a problem, as migrant workers tend to be employed in hazardous industries and employers may fail to comply with health and safety laws. This can include exposure to pesticides and herbicides, improperly maintained heavy equipment, and extreme heat or cold. Normal job protections such as working time limits and scheduled breaks may not be afforded, and people can work 12 hours or more without a break or access to a toilet. This can create a public health problem; field workers can relieve themselves in the field, for example by potentially transferring pathogens to consumers.
Some employers may offer housing to migrant workers, but it can be poor in quality and can be dangerous. Exposed wiring, poorly maintained toilets and other health and safety issues can make living quarters uncomfortable and unsafe for workers. Workers with undocumented immigration status may also be locked up in their homes by employers and foremen, and may be intimidated into not complaining or reporting poor working conditions.
Physical and sexual assaults are also potential risks for migrant workers. Employers and supervisors can abuse workers and threaten them silently. Child labor is another documented problem with migrant workers in many countries and children in this situation usually lack access to education and other resources. Healthcare for workers of all ages can be limited, which can allow for the spread of disease as well as serious complications from treatable conditions that weren’t addressed until it was too late.
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