Grant: CIHR Fellowship

This study will examine how the criminalization of migration impacts unmet contraceptive need, unplanned pregnancy, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) risk among asylum-seeking women. Globally, the number of asylum-seekers is increasing, but many countries have enacted immigration, criminal justice or border enforcement policies and practices that criminalize migration to deter or punish asylum-seekers. At the Mexico-U.S. border, the criminalization of migration has not lessened the number of asylum-seekers waiting for the opportunity to seek safety in the U.S., but it has made conditions for asylum-seekers more unsafe. Asylum-seeking women at the Mexico-U.S. border face elevated risk of adverse sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, including unmet need for contraception, unplanned pregnancy, and potential HIV/STI exposures. These inter-related health outcomes may also be affected by other experiences during migration, such as high rates of sexual violence and limited access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. However, almost no research has investigated the pathways between the criminalization of migration and adverse SRH outcomes among asylum-seeking women. Evidence is needed in complex border environments, like the Mexico-U.S. border region, where asylum-seekers are languishing due to lengthy processing times, high rates of violence and exploitation, and severe gaps in humanitarian aid. To address these gaps, I will conduct 30 qualitative interviews and analyze existing epidemiologic data (N=250) collected at the Mexico-U.S. border with asylum-seeking women to identify their lived experiences and the pathways by which criminalization of migration impacts SRH outcomes. This study will provide urgently needed evidence to inform healthcare interventions and program planning to address the inter-related risks of unmet contraceptive need, unplanned pregnancy, and HIV/STI exposures among asylum-seeking women.