PAKISTAN, 2010

A child plays in the refugee camp where he found shelter following the severe flooding in Pakistan in July 2010

Nikoubazl

© Reuters / Morteza Nikoubazl

 

In addition to wars, poverty and climate change are also drivers for the movement of large masses of people who cross borders faster than the states’ ability to control them or willingness to regulate.
Climate change has been identified as one of the major health threats of the 21st century, with hundreds of thousands of environmental migrants estimated by 2050. Migrations can be triggered by extreme and sudden natural phenomena (violent rains, floods, droughts or fires) or by changes that occur more slowly in the territory, such as desertification.
The health of migrants is challenged not only by the migration process itself, but also by indirect mechanisms. On arrival at the destination, the “healthy migrant paradox” may occur, whereby an individual in good condition at the start of migration sees his or her health deteriorate. This is due to precarious socio-economic conditions, the absence of social networks in the country of arrival and the difficulty in finding stable employment and housing, in other words, the influence of inequalities on the social determinants of health. The absence of legislative standards for recognising environmental migrant status helps expose individuals to contexts harmful to health and limits their access to health systems.

Valeria Ruffato