Sexual and reproductive health rights and service use among undocumented migrants in the EU: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Abstract Background Most EU member states fail to provide comprehensive access to essential sexual reproductive health services to undocumented migrants. This population group is, therefore, specifically vulnerable to experiencing worse health outcomes related to sexual and reproductive health. The aim of this study is to systematically review the academic literature on the access to and use of sexual reproductive health services as well as related health outcomes for undocumented migrants in the EU. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cinahl/Ebsco to identify quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies published between 2017 and 2022 (last 5 years). Results A total of 996 records were retrieved. The deduplication left 814 studies. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts according to pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 37 articles were included in the review. Overall findings indicated a variety of access barriers such as refusal of care, lack of knowledge and information on national healthcare provision schemes, bureaucratic and administrative hurdles, as well as affordability difficulties. Even when sexual reproductive health services were available and accessible, the studies reported a variety of factors affecting the use of such services by undocumented migrant populations, e.g., stigma, fear of deportation, socio-economic precarity, or abuse. All this translates into generally reported worse reproductive health outcomes for this population group. Conclusion Although it is hard to generalize the present findings to the EU region, this review furthers the evidence that undocumented migrants in Europe face worse reproductive health outcomes related to barriers to access and utilization of reproductive health services.