Labour Exploitation Trafficking and Migrant Health

Data collection and analysis
Research interviews were conducted by members of the EXTRMHE project team or by research
assistants selected and trained by the EXTRMHE team during a one-week training course. All interviews
were conducted by the researchers in the local language without need for an interpreter; 1 all
interviews were audio-recorded. In Kazakhstan, when the researcher did not speak the interviewer’s
first language, interviews were conducted in Russian. Data was analysed using a thematic approach,
including a comparative component to identify the similarities and differences in experiences, risks
and health outcomes between migrant workers and trafficked persons in each of the study countries.
Ethics
Ethical approval for the study was granted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and
by local ethics boards in each country. In Argentina, approval was granted by the Hospital de Clínicas
"José de San Martín", a teaching hospital that is part of the University of Buenos Aires. In Peru, ethical
approval was granted by the ethics committee of the Cayetano Heredia University. In Kazakhstan, the
School of Public Health’s Ethics Committee approved the EXTRMHE study.
Summary of study findings
Argentina
The research team conducted 21 interviews in total, with fifteen Bolivian migrant workers and six
victims of trafficking, all of whom who had worked in the textile sector in Argentina. Interviews were
carried out with 10 men and 11 women who were between ages 18 and 47, of whom 7 reported
being married. Interviewees had a range of work experiences and varying education levels. Women
usually worked as cooks, ironers, assistants (to the sewing machine operators) and sewing machine
operators, while men mainly worked on the last two tasks. Sewing machine operators earned money
by the piece, whereas cooks, ironers and assistants tended to earn a fixed (lower) salary.
All interviewees aspired to have a better income and expected to receive better pay than in their
country of origin. Many were supporting (or hoped to support) their families. Migration was common
and seen in a positive light by their families and communities of origin.
Victims of trafficking tended to be recruited in their country of origin, while the migrant workers
interviewed were often recruited or secured jobs during transit or after arrival, through migrant
networks and other sources (for example, radio stations, while on the bus, and in other ways). Both
migrant workers and victims of trafficking reported knowing the general work area (textiles) without
having real information about the conditions; they lacked regular contracts, because agreements
were verbal. Social networks (friends, relatives, acquaintances) constituted a key element of the
migration and recruitment pathway for migrant workers and trafficking survivors. Discussions with
their networks seemed to affect not only the final decision to migrate but also created among migrants
and trafficking victims a sense of security, with many migrants not asking about working conditions
or terms before travelling. Therefore, counter-trafficking efforts should account for the fact that
recruitment offers often come from someone the migrant knows and not only from strangers.
It is notable that the international migration that took place was legal, but that misinformation
about their rights in Argentina as migrants and workers (including about such aspects as access to
health care and the ability to stay in the country) was used as a threat or to restrict movement and
prevent employees from leaving. This was particularly common for the victims of trafficking, who
had seemingly fewer social contacts in Argentina, making their access to correct information more
limited. Interviewees were aware that the textile workshops they worked in were clandestine or
not following all legal requirements, but spoke of fear of police and migration officials being based
on what they had been told by often exploitative employers. Those interviewed not only did not
understand their legal protections under the law, but seemed to not understand the concept of
having inherent human rights, both as migrants and as informal workers. This perception and gap
in information appeared to contribute to their exploitation and should be addressed in policy and
1
Russian and Spanish language versions of this report were under production at the time of publication.
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Executive Summary