Reproductive Injustice: The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Refugees in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVE

This study applied the reproductive justice framework to analyze refugee women's access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, specifically their access to contraception in Switzerland and their experiences of parenthood.

DESIGN

Based on 14 semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study used a participatory approach. It incorporated an interpreter with a refugee background as a project team member and a group of six refugee women participated as co-researchers.

SETTING AND

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 14 refugees of reproductive age and with different immigration status were interviewed; none had lived longer than 8 years in Switzerland. Since the main researcher had knowledge of Arabic, preference was given to Arabic-speakers to facilitate participation and improve interview techniques.

FINDINGS: Three main themes were identified in relation to the living conditions in collective accommodation: (1) neglected sexual and reproductive health after forced migration, (2) shifting reproductive decision-making upon arrival, and (3) delegitimized sexuality and motherhood.

KEY

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study provide insights into the reproductive injustice faced by refugee women living in collective accommodation in Switzerland. We argue that addressing sexual and reproductive health should not be limited to access and information about contraceptives but must be seen as an integral part of reproductive justice, which also addresses structural factors such as living conditions and power relations.