document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Socioeconomic deprivation is related to adverse health outcomes16,17). This study examines the precarious status of refugee applicants in Korea. One Saturday evening six months after I went to Willow village for my field studies, I was introduced to Ziggy by my informant. Further, the government might approach refugee mothers through churches and Non-Governmental Organizations, which importantly facilitate the development of social support networks for refugee mothers.
Even if their children were referred to emergency medical services, participants faced financial challenges in obtaining proper care. The Korean government has worked to improve the immigrant support system; however, that system retains numerous limitations compared with those implemented in other developed countries; accordingly, asylum seekers' quality of life and right to health are poor3,4). She can be reached at rudor2@gmail.com. Status of Foreigners Staying by Nationality, Region and Age. Korean Statistical Information Service. But my Korean is not more than that. This communication barrier often resulted in deeply unsatisfactory experiences with healthcare usage. and transmitted securely. If there was rain, water leak into the house. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Particularly during their first pregnancy in Korea, mothers were embarrassed by these differences. To achieve these aims, we conducted six qualitative interviews with African refugee mothers of young children living in Korea. So I came home. Careers. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Weak social support also hindered access to healthcare soon after migration; however, social links with the community emerged as a key coping strategy following settlement. Roberts KS. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/, http://120dasan.seoul.go.kr/foreign/english.html, http://www.liveinkorea.kr/homepage/kr/index.asp, Eligible with governmental approval for each employment. Health insurance critically determines this vulnerable population's ability to meet their need for healthcare; this point's importance cannot be overemphasized. (Woman B). Healthcare providers at nonfree hospitals often seemed reluctant to care for patients who did not have health insurance.
With a personal account, you can read up to 100 articles each month for free. 2Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Survey of refugee rights to health assurance situation in Korea. Participants encountered a wider range of problems with language, cultural, and health system differences soon after their arrival than at later stages of their settlement. The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number This opportunity is highly valuable and this period may affect the lifelong health of children of immigrant mothers; therefore, it is critical that accurate health information is provided to immigrant mothers. He was wearing a winter jacket, and I wondered how anyone could wear such thick clothing on such a hot day. Participants paid little or no money for delivery and felt that they were treated same as native Koreans. The findings of this article reinforce the argument that government policies contribute to the production of migrants precarious status. Before I could formally begin my interview, he explained that hed lost his finger while working construction and was wearing the jacket to hide his hand. Academic Blogging Service provided by the University of Edinburgh. Palinkas LA, Pickwell SM, Brandstein K, Clark TJ, Hill LL, Moser RJ, et al. Among 8,001 applicants whose status was determined, only 576 (7.2%) received the status of refugee2). Second, interviews were conducted in participants' second language because we were unable to find proper translators for African local languages; this may have limited the range of participants' expression. Future research should assess refugees' health status and improve health access and literacy among refugee mothers. Three participants described themselves as Christian and two as Muslim. When he was born, I got a pocket book and they told me to do something. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Mothers usually received the vaccine's name and subsequent immunization date from health professionals, but could not obtain information about the purpose or possible side effects of each vaccine. In Islam, there is no way to prevent child birth. Some participants felt that their children had received inattentive care due to health professionals' unwillingness to provide explanation in a different language. But immigration officers usually watch there so I had to take a taxi to avoid them, even if it was very expensive for me. National Library of Medicine Please note that personal data collected through this form is used and stored for the purposes of processing this report and communication with you. The Regarding maternal health, this population received less perinatal care, typically held poor nutritional status, and experienced language challenges during using health services13). In Korea, 98.2% of the domestic population has national health insurance, enabling those people to access most essential healthcare services with little financial stress. It illustrates how government actions and inactions contribute to the legal production of illegality. The study further highlights how the current binary classification of migrants as legal versus illegal fails to explain why migrants deemed as legal are unable to enjoy full rights and find themselves perpetually vulnerable to falling into undocumented status. Free or subsidized prenatal care was offered in only a few health centers; therefore, participants often needed to spend large amounts of time travelling during pregnancy. According to Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), 20,671 Africans resided in Korea in 2019, 72.6% men (KOSIS, 2020). Our participants described difficulties obtaining information, particularly during the perinatal period and their child's infancy. This coverage has been progressively expanded18); however, asylum seekers in Korea still have limited access to national health insurance coverage.
(Woman E). Cultural differences are among the most important barriers to adequate healthcare for pregnant or childbearing Muslim women22,23,24). Journal of Asian Sociology This is the first research to examine the healthcare experiences of African refugee women and children in Korea. (Woman B), I did not know anything about pregnancy because it was my first time. Additionally, one participant was of undocumented status when she gave birth; her experiences of that period were discussed in her interview. This research was supported by grant No. Refugees typically experience malnutrition, difficulty obtaining clean water, trauma, and exposure to infectious diseases in their home countries and during the migration process due to limited or nonexistent healthcare; additionally, they often experience modification of family roles and the separation of family members. Ullmann HS, Goldman N, Massey DS.2011 Healthier before they migrate, less healthy when they return? Nearly all participants expressed satisfaction and positive memories regarding delivery. All participants expressed a very strong desire to have health insurance. Any views expressed within media held on this service are those of the contributors, should not be taken as approved or endorsed by the University, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University in respect of any particular issue. The interviewer was a trained pediatric researcher with 3 years of experience in immigrant healthcare and language abilities in Korean and English. Critically, the participants described difficulties accessing necessary maternal childcare due to socioeconomic deprivation and unavailable national health insurance. The current influx of Africans to Asian countries where they have few historical ties raises the question of why Africans face marginalization globally even where they represent only a recent addition. To access this article, please, Institute for Social Development and Policy Research (ISDPR), Access everything in the JPASS collection, Download up to 10 article PDFs to save and keep, Download up to 120 article PDFs to save and keep. (Woman C), I asked why and he said that he could not treat me because I am a foreigner and I did not have visa. Married participants' husbands rarely found work due to language or health problems.
Initial data analysis involved immersion in the data as a whole; therefore, all members of the team reviewed and discussed the complete collection of transcripts. They said you cannot afford money so it's better to find another hospital. (Woman C). The Health-related Experiences of Foreign Wives in Korea. They can't understand it: maternity health and care needs of immigrant Muslim women in St. John's, Newfoundland. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all material is copyright The University of Edinburgh 2022 and may only be used in accordance with the terms of the licence. 1Institute of Public Health and Medical Service, Seoul, Korea. Christian participants had the advantage of being able to develop relationships with Koreans, as well as other Africans, through church. First, the sample was small and did not include currently undocumented refugees. In Korea, over the last two decades, 15,250 people have applied for refugee status16% of these are female and 94.1% are aged 1859 years. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Most enter Korea on student, business, or tourist visas but end up working illegally in the informal sector even those who graduated from Korean universities. The risk factors of adverse birth outcomes among immigrant women in the republic of Korea [master's thesis]. All participants reported that their access to healthcare was impeded by a communication barrier. SC005336, VAT Registration Number GB592950700, and is acknowledged by the UK authorities as a These injuries had an additional gender dimension, as none of the women I interviewed experienced this (except back pain, common among all participants). The findings reveal that the South Korean governments restrictions of work permits for legal migrants, lack of laws and policies governing work of refugees as well as the exorbitant cost and cumbersome application process for refugee status make some people abandon the process. Research of current status of refugee children in Korea and support system. Sunday after church, in the hot summer afternoon, I met with him. What is the position of African countries in global society, and can that position ever change? This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Especially in winter, rain made the house much colder. Additionally, participants mentioned that their symptoms were often underestimated because of difficulty expressing the characteristics of their pain. The lines between legal versus illegal are blurred, thereby making the status of migrants who fall in between these categories, and are never captured, precarious. These questions were developed by the research team in consultation with experts in immigrant healthcare and tested in a preinterview with one African refugee mother who was not included among the interview participants. Similarly, our participants reported experiencing the effects of cultural differences regarding symptom management during pregnancy and delivery. Participants who had experienced delivery in their homelands described particularly strong satisfaction with delivery in Korea. One woman described not starting her child on solid food at the proper time due to ignorance; another mentioned missing a child wellbeing examination because she could not understand the document mailed to her for that purpose. Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea. The associations of parental under-education and unemployment on the risk of preterm birth: 2003 Korean National Birth Registration database. Contraception was also an important issue for Muslim mothers. All participants reported they were comfortable with either English or Korean as a second language. Further, considering the relatively low rate of health literacy among immigrants, healthcare facilities and immigration officers should provide adequate information about insurance and emergency support systems. Africans in South Korea at their own African church. Shin SH, Lim HT, Park HY, Park SM, Kim HS. Participants voluntarily provided a written indication of informed consent, then completed a short survey examining their socio-demographic information and self-reported health. Following legal reform in 2013, the annual number of asylum seekers entering South Korea has increased from 1,143 in 2012 to 5,711 in 2015. He brushed my question aside and asked if I were new to the area. Condom is permitted but usually husbands don't like it and wives cannot require it. (Woman C).
The site is secure. Retrieved August 28, 2021 https://www.moel.go.kr/english/poli/poliNewsnews_view.jsp?idx=1363, Reuters, 2020. Korean Studies Distinguished Lecture Series and Asian Studies Seminar Series, Early Career Researchers and Graduate Students Conference 2021 East Asia on the Move: Shifting Dynamics, Early Career Researchers and Graduate Students Conference 2021 Conference Programme, Monograph publication by Dr. Sangpil Jin Surviving Imperial Intrigues, New article by Dr. Youngmi Kim published South Koreas Political Pendulum Swings Again, The European Journal of Korean Studies special section edited by Dr. Youngmi Kim, Interview with Kang Su Hyun, Korean language tutor, North Korea and the Geopolitics of Development, The Cost of Belonging: An Ethnography of Solidarity and Mobility in Beijings Koreatown, Modernitys Double Project and Nation-Building Korean Style, Kazakhstans Turmoil: Socio-economic grievances and political power struggle, Moons Remaking of South Korea: Rich but Not-so-Content People, The Bottom of the Ladder African Migrants in South Korea, Seventy Years of Not Forgetting the Imjin Fallen, http://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=111&tblId=DT_1B040A6, https://www.moel.go.kr/english/poli/poliNewsnews_view.jsp?idx=1363, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-southkorea-workers/exclusive-hundreds-of-thai-workers-found-dying-in-south-korea-with-numbers-rising-idUSKBN28W033, Freedom of information publication scheme.