Objectives
The objectives of the study are to 1) estimate the burden of physical, sexual, and psychological violence among migrants in transit through Mexico to the US; and 2) examine the associations between experiencing violence and sociodemographic characteristics, migratory background, and health status in this vulnerable population.
Method
A cross-sectional study combining qualitative and quantitative methods was carried out from 2009 to 2015 with a sample of 12,023 migrants in transit through Mexico to the US. Information on gender (male, female, and transsexual, transgender and transvestite -TTTs-); nationality; health status; migratory background; and experiences with violence was obtained. Fifty-eight migrants participated in in-depth interviews to explore any experiences of violence during their journey. A descriptive analysis was performed and a probit regression model was applied to analyze the factors associated with violence. Qualitative information was analyzed to understand experiences, meanings and responses to violence.
Results
The overall prevalence of suffering from any form of violence was 29.4%. Nearly 24% reported physical violence, 19.5% experienced psychological violence, and approximately 2% reported sexual violence. TTTs experienced a significantly greater burden of violence compared to men and women. Violence occurred more frequently among migrants from Central American (30.6%) and other countries (40.0%) than it did among Mexican migrants (20.5%). Experiences involving sexual, physical and psychological violence as well as theft and even kidnapping were described by interviewees. Migrants mistrust the police, migration authorities, and armed forces, and therefore commonly refrain from revealing their experiences.
Conclusion
Migrants are subjected to a high level of violence while in transit to the US. Those traveling under irregular migratory conditions are targets of even greater violence, a condition exacerbated by gender inequality. Migrants transiting through Mexico from Central American and other countries undergo violence more frequently than do Mexican migrants. Protective measures are urgently needed to ensure the human rights of these populations.
Objetivo. Analizar la situación socioeconómica, de salud y acceso a servicios en población indígena de México, en 2006 y 2012. Material y métodos. Análisis comparativo entre población indígena y no indígena, a partir de información sociodemográfica y de salud de la ENSANUT 2006 y 2012. Se estimaron diferencias de proporciones o medias al comparar indígenas/no indígenas para cada año y entre 2006 y 2012. Resultados. Del total de la población indígena de México, 60% se ubica en el nivel socioeconómico más bajo. El Seguro Popular incrementó su cobertura de 14 a 61.9% en población indígena en comparación con la no indígena (de 10 a 35.7%). Sin embargo, no se observan cambios en utilización de servicios ambulatorios de salud (de 7.1 a 6.4%). La atención hospitalaria del parto en indígenas aumentó (de 63.8 a 76.4%) y persiste diferencia con no indígenas (93.9%). Conclusiones. Incrementar la cobertura del Seguro Popular presenta resultados heterogéneos en utilización de servicios de salud, mientras que el Programa Oportunidades no incide en mejoría de condición socioeconómica de población indígena.
ObjectiveTo analyze the relationship between primary health care utilization and extended health insurance coverage under the Seguro Popular (SP) among Mexican indigenous people.MethodologyA cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Mexican National Nutrition Survey 2012 (n = 194,758). Quasi-experimental matching methods and nonlinear regression probit models were used to estimate the influence of SP on primary health care utilization.Results25% of the Mexican population reported having no health insurance coverage, while 59% of indigenous versus 35% of non-indigenous reported having SP coverage. Health problems were reported by 13.9% of indigenous vs. 10.5% of non-indigenous; of these, 52.8% and 57.7% respectively, received primary health care (p<0.05). Economic barriers were the most frequent reasons for not using primary health care services. The probability of utilizing primary health care services was 11.5 percentage points higher (p<0.01) for indigenous SP affiliates in comparison with non-indigenous, in similar socioeconomic conditions.ConclusionSocioeconomic conditions, not ethnicity per-se, determine whether people utilize primary health care services. Therefore, SP can be conceived as a public policy strategy which acts as a social buffer by enhancing health care utilization regardless of ethnicity. Further analysis is required to explore the potential gaps as a result of SP coverage among socially vulnerable groups.
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