HIV / AIDS

HIV / AIDS

HIV and Migrant Workers

In comparison to other Latino groups and the U.S. population as a whole, migrant workers are at increased risk for HIV/AIDS. Recent estimates find that up to 1.1 percent of farmworkers are infected with HIV/AIDS, which is nearly 2 times higher than the U.S. national average of 0.6 percent. This health disparity is due to a variety of social factors. Major risk factors for HIV infection in migrant communities include: cultural taboos about sexual matters, sharing needles to inject legal as well as illegal drugs, unprotected sex with sex workers, racism, and poverty. Mobility, language, illiteracy, traditional customs, and limited use of health care services also impede migrants’ access to HIV prevention information and services. Access to health care is further limited because few migrants have employer-provided or government-subsidized health insurance.

Since 1998, Farmworker Justice has been providing HIV/AIDS prevention efforts aimed at migrant workers and their families. To address this pandemic, Farmworker Justice

provides capacity building assistance (CBA) to community-based organizations (CBOs) and health departments that serve migrant workers

partners with CBOs to train and support lay health educators (also known as promotores de salud) who, in turn, educate their peers in their local communities

adapts science-based behavioral interventions for use with Latino migrants

collaborates with Mexican NGOs and government agencies to promote HIV prevention on a binational basis

develops curricula and other educational materials and

presents at national conferences and publishes in peer-reviewed journals