CISS | Universidad Mayor

Migration is a life-changing process for those who experience it, but it is also shaped by structural inequalities that impact the health and well-being of migrants. In a recent study, our researcher Teresita Rocha-Jiménez, alongside Irene Torres, Báltica Cabieses, Daniel F. López-Cevallos, and Mercedes Mercado-Órdenes, analyzed how racism, gender, and migration status influence the mental health of Venezuelan migrants in transit through the northern borders of Chile (Antofagasta, Iquique, and Arica) and Ecuador (Tulcán and Nueva Loja).

Through 60 in-depth interviews with key informants (30 in Chile and 30 in Ecuador), the study found that historical racism in Latin America, combined with social class, nationality, and migration restrictions, creates barriers to healthcare access and significantly impacts the emotional stability of migrants.

The findings reveal that unequal access to healthcare, coupled with discrimination in transit territories, exacerbates the stress and uncertainty faced by migrants. The study also underscores the need for intersectional and decolonial approaches to better understand how these inequalities operate and affect the daily lives of migrants and refugees.

The research concludes that urgent action is needed to implement inclusive, intercultural, and non-racist public policies that guarantee the right to healthcare for migrants, particularly in the Global South, where human mobility remains a constant reality.

Read the full study here: [https://www.thelancet.com/jour...]