Description
Introduction - Objectives: Disasters cause unequal impacts on the population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, migrants and women were among those groups at increased risk of adverse consequences. Migrants were more likely to receive late diagnoses and to be hospitalized, and were often neglected by vaccination campaigns. Women experienced worse socioeconomic impact, faced access constraints to sexual and reproductive care, and were disproportionately affected by gender-based violence (GBV). Because of the intersection of these two vulnerability factors, migrant women (MW) were supposedly more vulnerable compared to migrant men (MM) and non-migrant women (N-MW). The project “Being a migrant woman during disasters: A mixed-method study exploring multidimensional inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Italy” aims to explore inequalities experienced by MW with regard to access to healthcare and socio-sanitary needs. The preliminary results of the qualitative phase of this project will be presented to showcase firsthand experiences of MW during the pandemic.
Methodology: We performed an in-depth retrospective qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. A pool of MW was recruited by relying on the network of three third sector organizations offering healthcare and social services in Milan. The interview guide aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic regarding administrative issues, mental and physical health, financial difficulties, childcare, GBV, interruption of educational and recreational programs, as well as access to care (e.g., access to healthcare facilities, to information, to vaccination).
Results and discussion: To this day, eighteen MW with different geographical and cultural backgrounds as well as legal status have been interviewed. The majority of the interviewees were employed in the informal sector (e.g., cleaners, caregivers) and therefore were severely affected by restrictions. As they were often irregular migrants, they could not rely on welfare state support. Alongside the distress related to their economic situation, their mental health was compromised because they were worried about their families in their home countries and fearful of dying from COVID while living far away. Often, anxiety was also associated with the extensive Italian news media coverage of COVID-19. Most of the interviewees disclosed conspiracy theories and skepticism about vaccination, but oftentimes they decided to get vaccinated to go back to work and be able to use public transportation. Yet, booking vaccinations was particularly challenging for irregular migrants. Remarkably, this study incorporates the voices of marginalized communities, namely MW in health research, allowing to explore the whole range of barriers and inequalities they have experienced during the pandemic from a subjective perspective. Moreover, this project contributes to the advancement of research focusing on the impact of disasters on MW adopting an intersectional approach.
Conclusions: Results will allow local policymakers and health providers to anticipate MW’s healthcare needs, both in normal times and during disasters as well as to strengthen health equity for MW, thus contributing to achieving universal health coverage.
Acknowledgments: This project is supported by Fondazione Cariplo (ref. 2022-1447) and is being conducted in the framework of the International PhD in Global Health, Humanitarian Aid, and Disaster Medicine organized by Università del Piemonte Orientale.
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