Women's migration, urban poverty and child health in Rajasthan

Migration is an increasing feature which defines the lives of the rural and urban poor in India, however few studies have considered its effects on the health of migrants and their families. This paper examines the high levels of infant and child illness and death amongst poor urban slum communities in Rajasthan, a state with one of the highest infant mortality rates in India. The research specifically focuses on positive and negative roles of migration for the survival prospects of children in Rajasthan.

The paper examines the consequences of internal migration for both women’s reproductive experiences and their children’s health. The authors find that many poor people are forced to move on a regular and chronic basis and that this movement has both negative and positive consequences for their health and nutritional status. It is not enough that migration brings migrants to a place where there are more health services available. The question is whether their changed social and economic conditions enable them to take advantage of such services. Mobility in the context of such insecurity presents a particular challenge for the poor and for policy makers:

Some critical measures that can be taken to address the detrimental health experiences of poor migrant women and children described in this paper include:

• it is urgent that primary health services are provided equally for those living in deprived urban settlements. It is not enough to provide these services as adjunct to the main government hospitals 
• it is vital that the number and quality of provision of Anganwadi centres for pregnant women, neonates and infants includes provision of meals for young children, but also health referral services for migrant mothers’ antenatal, birthing and postpartum care
• it is important to develop tracking and communication strategies to ensure that migrant mothers in particular have access to emergency services
• health-workers need to target migrant families who have experienced child loss for specific attention and intervention