Exploring the sexual and reproductive health of refugee women in Hamburg, Germany

Abstract

In Germany, the number of refugee girls and women has increased dramatically over the past years. More than half a million girls and women applied for asylum in between 2012 and 2016 (Worbs & Baraulina, 2017, p. 3). In comparison to the general population, refugee women are at higher risk of several health issues because of their migration history. They have an additional burden due to different aspects of reproductive health like pregnancy complications and childbearing (Gagnon et al., 2002, p. 6). Especially, women who get married in their early ages, have little formal education on sexual and reproductive health. Due to inadequate sexual and reproductive health knowledge, they face problems like unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, maternal death and sexual violence (Ivanova et al., 2018, p. 1, 2). Refugee women also have poorer infant and pregnancy health outcomes than other women (Gagnon et al. 2002, p. 14). But, there are only a few researches done in this sector. Therefore, it is important to explore the needs of refugee women so that the health promotion program like REFUGIUM can fulfill their needs in promoting sexual and reproductive health. Thus, this paper aims to explore the sexual and reproductive health needs of refugee women in Germany. A qualitative case study is conducted with refugee women in Germany originating from different religious and cultural backgrounds. Within a qualitative method, 2 focus groups, 7 face-to-face interviews and 5 observations in different refugee accommodations in Hamburg were conducted. The collected data were then analyzed and presented in the results. The findings of this study show refugee women’s pre- and post-migration experiences, less consciousness regarding sexual and reproductive health, lack of understanding about available health services in Germany and difficulties in accessing health services. This deeply impacts refugee woman’s sexual and reproductive health and shows the need for health promotion and awareness programs. A health promotion program like REFUGIUM can provide sexual and reproductive health education for refugee women through research oriented workshops.