Statement on the Needs of Women and Girl Refugees in Europe
20 June 2022 — On World Refugee Day, the Center for Reproductive Rights urges the European Union and its member states, other European governments, the United Nations, and the broader international community to take action to guarantee the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of all refugees and asylum seekers in Europe.
International human rights law requires governments to guarantee all refugees access to essential sexual and reproductive health care. Yet in many countries across Europe refugees do not have equal access to sexual and reproductive health care, and European states are failing to comply with their international obligations to ensure access to affordable essential health care. For certain groups of refugees in Europe, including Romani women, African women, and women of African descent and other ethnic and religious minorities, the risk of sexual and reproductive health and rights violations is hugely exacerbated by racism and other forms of discrimination. Some refugees also face marginalization and discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity or disability.
Additionally, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the movement of almost seven million refugees out of Ukraine are showcasing how restrictive laws and policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights that remain in place in many European countries gravely affect the health and well-being of refugees. In Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, a range of pre-existing legal and policy restrictions on SRHR, alongside cost barriers and other obstacles, are severely impeding access to urgent and essential sexual and reproductive care for refugees from Ukraine and other countries. These barriers are undermining access to emergency contraception and other contraceptive methods, abortion care including medical abortion, antenatal care, post-exposure prophylaxis, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, including for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Effective action is now imperative to ensure that all refugees and asylum seekers across Europe have access to sexual and reproductive health care.
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