Employmentweb_low

eMployMent relations and health inequalities: pathways and MechanisMs
resulting from physical violence and mental trauma, risky behaviours,
absence or inaccessible welfare measures, and cultural barriers has
been shown. Moreover, even after the legal abolition of slavery, it still
persists to some extent and also negatively affects health.
selected scientific findings
A socioeconomic survey of kidney vendors in Pakistan
in recent years, pakistan has emerged as one of the largest centres for commerce and tourism in renal transplantation.
Kidney vendors belong to punjab in eastern pakistan, the agricultural heartland, where 34 per cent of people live below the
poverty line. we report results of a socioeconomic and health survey of 239 kidney vendors. the mean age was 33.6 +/- 7.2
years (M:F 3.5:1). the mean nephroctomy period was 4.8 +/- 2.3 years. ninety per cent of the vendors were illiterate. sixtynine
per cent were bonded labourers who were virtual slaves to landlords, 12 per cent were labourers, 8.5 per cent were
housewives and 11 per cent were unemployed. Monthly income was $us15.4 +/- 8.9 with 2-11 dependents per family. the
majority (93%) worked for debt repayment with a mean debt of $1311.4 +/- 819. the mean agreed selling price was $1737
+/- 262. however, they received $1377 +/- 196 after deductions for hospital and travel expenses. postvending, 88 per cent
had no economic improvement in their lives and 98 per cent reported deterioration in general health status. Future vending
was encouraged by 35 per cent to pay off debts and freedom from bondage. this study gives a snapshot of kidney vendors
from pakistan. these impoverished people, many in bondage, are examples of modern day slavery. they will remain
exploited until a law against bondage is implemented and new laws are introduced to ban commerce and transplant tourism
in pakistan.
Source
naqvi, s. a., ali, b., Mazhar, F., Zafar, M. n., & rizvi, s. a. (2007). a socioeconomic survey of kidney vendors in pakistan.
Transplant International, 20, 934-939.
Population-based survey methods for quantifying associations between human rights violations and health outcomes among
internally displaced persons in eastern Burma
Background: case reports of human rights violations have focused on individuals' experiences. population-based
quantification of associations between rights indicators and health outcomes is rare and has not been documented in
eastern burma.
objective: we describe the association between mortality and morbidity and the household-level experience of human
rights violations among internally displaced persons in eastern burma.
methods: Mobile health workers in conflict zones of eastern burma conducted 1834 retrospective household surveys in
2004. workers recorded data on vital events, mid-upper arm circumference of young children, malaria parasitaemia status
of respondents and household experience of various human rights violations during the previous 12 months.
results: under-5 mortality was 218 (95% confidence interval 135 to 301) per 1000 live births. almost one-third of
households reported forced labour (32.6%). Forced displacement (8.9% of households) was associated with increased child
mortality (odds ratio = 2.80), child malnutrition (odds ratio = 3.22) and landmine injury (odds ratio = 3.89). theft or destruction
of the food supply (reported by 25.2% of households) was associated with increased crude mortality (odds ratio = 1.58), malaria
parasitaemia (odds ratio = 1.82), child malnutrition (odds ratio = 1.94) and landmine injury (odds ratio = 4.55). Multiple rights
violations (experienced by 14.4% of households) increased the risk of child (incidence rate ratio = 2.18) and crude (incidence
rate ratio = 1.75) mortality and the odds of landmine injury (odds ratio = 19.8). child mortality risk increased more than
fivefold (incidence rate ratio = 5.23) among families reporting three or more rights violations.
Conclusions: widespread human rights violations in conflict zones in eastern burma are associated with significantly
increased morbidity and mortality. population-level associations can be quantified using standard epidemiological methods.
this approach requires further validation and refinement elsewhere.
Source
Mullany, l. c., richards, a. K., lee, c. i., suwanvanichkij, v., Maung, c., Mahn, M., et al. (2007). population-based survey
methods to quantify associations between human rights violations and health outcomes among internally displaced
persons in eastern burma. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61, 908-914.
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