Migrants as ‘vulnerable groups’ in the COVID-19 pandemic: A critical discourse analysis of a taken-for-granted label in academic literature

Molenaar, Jil; Praag, Lore Van

doi:10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100076

Cited by 19 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When COVID-19 was declared a full-scale pandemic, it dominated the news flow worldwide and awareness of the disease was high, but crucial information on what constituted a risk for infection and protective measures did not reach everyone equally. A European Union (EU)-funded consortium (COVINFORM) concluded that morbidity in COVID-19 partly depended on ‘vulnerability in relation to communication’, meaning lack of access to, or poorly adapted, information 29. A Swedish study conducted before the pandemic illustrated that in geographical areas marked by low socioeconomic status and with a large proportion of first-generation and second-generation immigrants, there is a higher use of social media, foreign news media or social networks as the main source of information, especially among people with limited Swedish language proficiency 30.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undervalued essential work and lacking health literacy as determinants of COVID-19 infection risks: a qualitative interview study among foreign-born workers in Sweden

Söderberg,

Magnusson,

Swaid

et al. 2023

BMJ Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesTo investigate work and living conditions as determinants of COVID-19 infection risks in foreign-born workers in non-healthcare occupations.DesignData were collected according to a qualitative design, using semistructured interviews. Verbatim transcripts of these interviews were analysed according to systematic text condensation.ParticipantsWe recruited foreign-born workers (n=15) and union representatives (n=6) among taxi drivers, bus and tram drivers, pizza bakers, cleaners and property caretakers, all indicated as risk occupations during COVID-19 in Sweden.ResultsFour overarching themes were found: ‘virus exposure at work’, ‘aspects of low status and undervalued work’, ‘lack of access to information’ and ‘foreign-born persons’ position’. Virus exposure was frequent due to many social interactions over a workday, out of which several were physically close, sometimes to the point of touching. The respondents fulfilled important societal functions, but their work was undervalued due to low job status, and they had little influence on improving safety at work. Lack of health literacy limited foreign-born workers to access information about COVID-19 infection risks and protection, since most information from health organisations and employers was only available in Swedish and not adapted to their living conditions or disseminated through unknown channels. Instead, many turned to personal contacts or social media, through which a lot of misinformation was spread. Foreign-born persons were also subjected to exploitation since a Swedish residency permit could depend on maintaining employment, making it almost impossible to make demands for improved safety at work.ConclusionsStructural factors and a lack of adapted information manifested themselves as fewer possibilities for protection against COVID-19. In a globalised world, new widespread diseases are likely to occur, and more knowledge is needed to protect all workers equally. Our results are transferable to similar contexts and bring forth aspects that can be tried in quantitative studies or public health interventions.Cite Now

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undervalued essential work and lacking health literacy as determinants of COVID-19 infection risks: a qualitative interview study among foreign-born workers in Sweden

Söderberg,

Magnusson,

Swaid

et al. 2023

BMJ Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Migrants are often identified as a vulnerable population, but are a heterogenous group, making it inappropriate to generalise the extent to which they are vulnerable. There are several factors that affect migrants' vulnerability, including socioeconomic background, immigration status, limited English proficiency, experiences of discriminatory and racist attitudes and policies, and restrictions they may encounter regarding their access to health care and social security (Molenaar and Van Praag, 2022).…”

Section: Systemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrant health in the United Kingdom

Oliver,

Caleyachetty,

Farrington

2024

InnovAiT: Education and inspiration for general practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Migration is not a new phenomenon and current migration affects practically all countries and individuals in some way. For vulnerable people, the decision to leave home is almost always multi-causal, highly complex, and often involves many stops and hazards along the way. Large numbers of people leave their country of birth, fleeing from war, famine, and persecution, or seeking to improve their economic and professional prospects.

show abstract

“…In doing so, media platforms have supported the idea that non‐White groups are somehow genetically inferior and, therefore, inherently more susceptible to the virus (Yearby, 2020, 2021). The consequence of this narrative is that people on the move have often been portrayed as “carriers” or “vectors of disease” and thus blamed for the spread of COVID‐19 in our communities (Lucifora, 2021; Molenaar & Van Praag, 2022).…”

Section: Covid‐19 As a Multiplier Of Border Violencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A community psychology for migrant justice: Critically examining border violence and resistance during the COVID‐19 syndemic

Esposito

Rebelo

Olanrewaju

et al. 2023

American J of Comm Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article explores the magnifying lenses of the COVID‐19 syndemic to highlight how people racialized as migrants and refugees have been—and continue to be—disproportionally harmed. We use empirical evidence collected in our scholarly/activist work in Europe, Africa, South Asia, and the United States to examine migrant injustice as being produced by a combination of power structures and relations working to maintain colonial global orders and inequalities. This is what has been defined as “border imperialism.” Our data, complemented by evidence from transnational solidarity groups, show that border imperialism has further intersected with the hygienic‐sanitary logics of social control at play during the COVID‐19 period. This intersection has resulted in increasingly coercive methods of restraining people on the move, as well as in increased—and new—forms of degradation of their lives, that is, an overall multiplication of border violences. At the same time, however, COVID‐19 has provided a unique opportunity for grassroot solidarity initiatives and resistance led by people on the move to be amplified and extended. We conclude by emphasizing the need for community psychologists to take a more vigorous stance against oppressive border imperialist regimes and the related forms of violence they re/enact.

show abstract

Migrants as ‘vulnerable groups’ in the COVID-19 pandemic: A critical discourse analysis of a taken-for-granted label in academic literature

Cited by 19 publications

References 50 publications

Undervalued essential work and lacking health literacy as determinants of COVID-19 infection risks: a qualitative interview study among foreign-born workers in Sweden

Undervalued essential work and lacking health literacy as determinants of COVID-19 infection risks: a qualitative interview study among foreign-born workers in Sweden

Migrant health in the United Kingdom

A community psychology for migrant justice: Critically examining border violence and resistance during the COVID‐19 syndemic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About