Young migrants’ sexual rights in Sweden: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background In national public health surveys including those assessing sexual and reproductive health, migrants generally tend to be underrepresented due to cultural, linguistic, structural and legal barriers, minimising the possibility to measure sexual rights’ fulfilment in this group. This study aims to describe to what extent sexual rights of young migrants in Sweden are being fulfilled. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 1773 young (16–29 years) migrants by post, online, and at language schools and other venues. Sexual rights were operationalised and categorised into five domains adapted from the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission’s definition. These domains included the right to: 1) access sexual and reproductive healthcare, 2) access information and education about sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights, 3) have bodily integrity, 4) make free informed decisions about sexuality and sexual relations and 5) have a satisfying and safe sexual life. Descriptive analysis was used to assess the extent of fulfilment for each right. Results There were wide variations in the fulfilment of sexual rights between subgroups and among the five domains. Most respondents rated their sexual health as good/fair, however, 6.3% rated their sexual health as bad/very bad. While most of those who visited related services were satisfied, 17.4% of respondents refrained from visiting the services despite their needs. Around four in ten respondents did not know where to get information about sexuality and sexual health. One-fourth of respondents reported sexual violence. Another 12.7% were limited by family members or fellow countrymen regarding with whom they can have an intimate relationship. Most respondents were satisfied with their sexual life, except for 11.9%. Men, non-binary respondents, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, asexuals, those who were awaiting a decision regarding residence permit and those born in South Asia reported poor sexual health to a greater extent and fulfilment of their sexual rights to a lesser extent than other groups. Conclusions Timely and culturally adapted information about sexual rights, gender equalities, laws and available services in Sweden should be provided in appropriate languages and formats in order to raise awareness about sexual rights and improve access to available services. Tailored attention should be paid to specific vulnerable subgroups.

No evidence, no problem? A critical interpretive synthesis of the vulnerabilities to and experiences of sexual violence among young migrants in Europe

“…This means that the experiences of any young migrants not falling into one of these four categories are largely missing from academic discourse. This is supported by the single study that looked at migrants more broadly [ 19 ], which included all migrants regardless of their reason for migrating or their legal status. This study found that vulnerabilities to sexual violence varied by sexual orientation and gender identity, legal status and region of origin [ 19 ].…”

“…One of the key issues with the quantitative studies included in this review was the sample sizes which varied widely between 1773 [ 19 ] and 19 [ 20 ] (see Table 3 for details). Small sample sizes may be a direct consequence of investigating very specific populations in a particular context but can limit the generalisability of the data collected.…”

Migrant and refugee youth perspectives on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Australia: a systematic review

“…MRY's ignorance of SRH services is consistent with comparable studies in other high-income countries. 70 Youth's misgivings about health and legal support overwhelmingly related to social risk; fears of negative repercussions for seeking support and that doctors would breach confidentiality. Mistrust indicates services have not effectively engaged MRY or presented themselves as safe spaces.…”

The good, the bad, and the why: How do Arabic-speaking migrant men perceive and experience information and services related to sexual and reproductive health in Sweden?

“…However, there are indications that migrant men in Sweden face more difficulties accessing and might have worse experiences receiving SRH services compared to migrant women. ( Baroudi et al., 2021 ; Baroudi et al., 2022 ). Previous research showed that fewer migrant men visited SRH services (9.4% vs. 22.2% of women), and, adjusted for needs, only 23% of migrant men had their needs fulfilled by SRH services compared to 52% of migrant women ( Baroudi et al., 2022 ).…”

“…Previous research showed that fewer migrant men visited SRH services (9.4% vs. 22.2% of women), and, adjusted for needs, only 23% of migrant men had their needs fulfilled by SRH services compared to 52% of migrant women ( Baroudi et al., 2022 ). Additionally, compared to migrant women, more migrant men reported; feeling disrespected during a visit to SRH services (9.1% vs. 6.9% of women); perceiving discrimination (13.1% vs. 9.7% of women); perceiving a prejudiced attitude of the staff toward them (32.9% vs. 24.8% of women); and not receiving the expected help (30.1% vs. 20.2% of women) ( Baroudi et al., 2021 ). Worse experiences in SRH services among migrant men are also reported in other studies from the European Union ( Cha, 2013 ; Lebano et al., 2020 ).…”