Unaccompanied minor refugee girls – Sexual and reproductive health and rights in adolescence and early adulthood

Sweden has taken in more than 10,000 unaccompanied girls, and girls constitute an increasing percentage of newly arrived unaccompanied minors.

Experiences of violence, abuse, and trauma are common, and many have grown up in conditions where their sexual rights have been limited. Moreover, they are deprived of important healing and protective factors, such as the presence of parents.

This risks adversely affecting both sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and overall health.Research among young refugees shows decreased knowledge and reduced use of contraceptives, increased risk of HIV/STIs, and more unplanned teenage pregnancies.

Research on unaccompanied girls is almost completely absent.The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of unaccompanied adolescents and young women relating to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), how they relate to SRHR as part of human rights, and how these are affected by previous experiences, the host country´s norms, and development from adolescence to young adulthood.

We will also investigate how unaccompanied girls´ SRHR can be strengthened, and the role of healthcare and other actors.

The project consists of two sub-studies with unaccompanied minors; one with 20 girls aged 16-19, and one with 20 young women aged 20-25 who came to Sweden as unaccompanied minors.

Great care will be taken to create trust in the research context, and qualified SRHR interpreters will be used if needed.

Each informant will be invited to participate in both focus groups, which may contribute to feelings of safety and a dynamic inspiring the development of new perspectives, and individual interviews, deepening and adding information of a more personal nature.The research project will contribute new knowledge on a vulnerable group where there is currently a complete lack of research-based evidence, and where the project can provide a basis for health initiatives and interventions of great importance to both individuals and society.