האגודה הישראלית לחקר יחסי עבודה

זכה בפרס הראשון בשנת 2015

Abstract
Migrant home care workers constitute an "invisible" and vulnerable group in society,
as they work in isolation in the homes of frail older adults. Past research has shown
that this population is particularly vulnerable to work-related abuse. The aim of the
present study was to explore the help-seeking behaviors of migrant home care
workers who were exposed to work related abuse. Overall, 187 Filipino home care
workers completed a self-report questionnaire regarding four types of work-related
abuse (sexual, physical, emotional and exploitation), help-seeking strategies (i.e,
formal and informal reporting) and reasons for not disclosing abusive incidents. A
total of 56.7% reported some type of abuse. Of these, less than half reported the
abuse, mostly informally to family and friends. None reported the abuse to the police.
Main reasons for not disclosing the abuse were fears that things would get worse and
the belief that this was a private/family matter. The findings demonstrate that migrant
home care workers are highly vulnerable to work-related abuse, but are not likely to
report work related abuse and put an end to the cycle of abuse and violence. This calls
for the development of further policy and interventions to protect this already
vulnerable population.
Keywords
migrant workers; abuse; reporting; home care, workplace violence, help-seeking

למאמר המלא