Pregnancy can be an anxious time for any woman. But for women who have escaped torture and violence, often enduring arduous journeys to end up in the complex UK asylum process, pregnancy can be very difficult indeed.
A report launched last week suggests that the UK Border Agency is putting the pursuit of its blanket policy of dispersing destitute asylum seekers across the UK over and above the welfare of vulnerable pregnant women. Women interviewed for the report were dispatched multiple times to distant cities at short notice and against the advice of medical professionals.
Concern
The findings tie in with the experiences I have heard from refugee women that have given birth in Scotland. My added concern is that we also know that up to two-thirds of women in the asylum process have experienced sexual and gender based violence, and many more suffer from the effects of trauma.
For pregnant women, difficulties are even more acute with underlying physical and mental health conditions, such as HIV and complications as a result of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Midwives have strongly voiced concerns about the welfare of refugee women they treat, which led the Royal College of Midwives to endorse the recommendations in this new report.
Refugee women in Glasgow
Early findings from our own study with Strathclyde University looking at refused asylum seekers’ experiences of maternity care in Glasgow suggest positive experiences among women in terms of the quality of care. However, the same underlying concerns regarding the impact of the asylum process on women’s maternal health are highlighted.
Trauma
In my role as Women’s Policy Development officer, I have heard from women who were afraid to ask for things because they did not know they were entitled to them. One woman gave birth without an interpreter and so “didn’t understand most things”, while another was provided with a male interpreter and found the whole experience “embarrassing”. Many women have told me they didn’t know they could ask for travel expenses for hospital appointments, so walked to hospital while heavily pregnant and even in labour.
I think this is a really important report both for the women we work with and other refugee women across the UK. Campaign for action now:
http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/dignityinpregnancy
Follow Nina on Twitter: @NomadaEterna
