Publications - Released in 2005
Migrants’ situation in Thailand is precarious. Due to their tenuous legal status and numerous barriers that limit access to health services and legal mechanisms, migrants endure poor working and living conditions without being able to receive full or proper treatment for related health conditions. With a sense of loss of control over their life, and without being able to access health information and services in their own language, migrants’ vulnerability to HIV and other reproductive health conditions increases, as does their susceptibility to contagious diseases and other health problems.
This report reviews the numerous factors that affect migrants’ health in Thailand, exploring work and living conditions, structural barriers to health services, and issues of emotional well-being and human rights. Information is based on informal reporting from the field, which is corroborated by a literature review. The purpose of the report is to show that migrants' health in Thailand is significantly affected by various factors that are out of their control, such as unsanitary work and living conditions and the inability to access health information and services.