NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Sub-Culture of Insecurity: Human Rights and the Health Status of Haitian Workers in the Dominican Republic

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This postdoctoral research and training project seeks to understand the relationship between human rights, their abuses, and the health status of Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic. The social scientific literature on the status of Haitian workers' well-being does not often illuminate the health status of this population. Likewise, medical literature regarding health and disease among Haitian populations does not elucidate the broader socioeconomic context which helps structure health outcomes. Given the documented abuse of Haitian workers in the Domincan Republic, what are its likely impacts upon the health status of these workers? A study of Haitian workers presents an opportunity to examine in detail the pathogenic effects of social inequalities on this often unprotected population. This project has three objectives: 1) to assess the living and working conditions of Haitian cane cutters who reside on bateyes (shanty town dwellings) and Haitian workers in other sectors of the economy, 2) to evaluate the health status of these workers vis-a-vis these conditions, and 3) to correlate health status with gender, legal status, class, Spanish-speaking proficiency, and type of work on or off the bateyes.