10.N. Scientific session: Health and Safety Challenges of Female Migrant Workers in Europe

Abstract Female migrant workers across Europe represent a growing yet often invisible segment of the labor market. Concentrated in sectors such as domestic care, hospitality, agriculture, and cleaning services, these women frequently face exploitative working conditions, limited labor rights, and systemic marginalization. The intersection of gender, migrant status, and employment precarity places them at elevated risk for occupational injuries, chronic stress, and both physical and mental health challenges. Despite their vital contributions-particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic-the protections they receive in terms of occupational safety, health access, and social security remain grossly inadequate. Working conditions typically include long hours, low wages, informal contracts, and exclusion from basic labor protections such as sick leave, insurance, or safety protocols. Language barriers, fear of deportation, and social isolation further deter these women from seeking care or advocating for safer workplaces. Consequently, they experience disproportionate rates of preventable injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, reproductive health issues, and untreated mental health conditions. From a public health standpoint, this situation presents a dual crisis: it violates basic rights and burdens national health systems. Emergency services often serve as the first point of care for uninsured migrant women, resulting in delayed treatment, higher healthcare costs, and missed opportunities for early intervention. Research suggests that the long-term costs of chronic illness, injury, and mental health care in this population far outweigh the short-term economic gains from their unregulated labor. Poor access to maternal and reproductive health services further amplifies public health risks, especially in urban centers with high migrant populations. Legal and regulatory gaps across the EU allow these conditions to persist. Many labor laws fail to apply occupational health and safety standards to informal and domestic work, creating a legal vacuum ripe for exploitation. Simultaneously, health and social care systems are often unprepared to address the needs of migrant women, with limited cultural mediation, language-adapted services, or targeted outreach. Comprehensive occupational health services that include precariously employed migrant women are rare, resulting in systemic under-detection and under-protection. This workshop will explore the multifaceted health and safety challenges faced by female migrant workers and emphasize the need for coordinated legislative, policy, and service-level reforms. It will highlight current research, best practices, and policy innovations from across Europe aimed at advancing protection, reducing health inequities, and alleviating the burden on health systems. Key messages • Female migrants face systematically higher exposure to occupational hazards, from physical injuries and psychosocial stress to poor reproductive health outcomes. • There is a need for cross-sectoral collaboration, including labor regulation reform, culturally responsive healthcare, better data collection, and proactive outreach.