Addressing Sexual Health Disparities in Vulnerable Communities: Pathways from Challenges to Solutions

Sexual health, as defined by the World Health Organisation, represents "a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity." This comprehensive framework encompasses sexual function, satisfaction, and the fundamental right to pleasurable, consensual sexual experiences.

However, marginalised populations, including migrant and refugee communities, Indigenous peoples, racial minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, sex workers, and those in remote areas, face profound barriers to achieving optimal sexual health. These communities encounter intersecting forms of stigma that manifest as cultural taboos surrounding sexuality, healthcare provider bias, discriminatory practices, and internalised shame that prevents help-seeking behaviour. Structural discrimination compounds these challenges through limited healthcare access, language barriers, economic constraints, and social exclusion. Such disparities violate the principle of universal healthcare access enshrined in Sustainable Development Goals 3.7 and 5.6, perpetuating cycles of sexual health inequity that undermine human dignity and wellbeing across diverse vulnerable populations.

This Research Topic aims to address the persistent inequities in sexual health, particularly sexual function, experienced by marginalised populations worldwide. Despite international commitments to universal access under the Sustainable Development Goals, progress remains uneven, and stigma continues to undermine rights, access, and outcomes. The goal is to generate a robust evidence base on the multifaceted barriers faced by these groups, including structural discrimination, cultural exclusion, service gaps, and increasingly restrictive policies and law. We seek contributions that offer innovative strategies, community-led interventions, policy reforms, and clinical approaches that reduce stigma, improve accessibility, and strengthen rights-based, culturally safe care. By uniting diverse disciplinary perspectives from public health and clinical research to law, social science, and lived experience; this collection will highlight actionable solutions and recent advances that can transform sexual health systems. Ultimately, the aim is to advance equity, uphold human rights, and ensure that sexual health, including sexual function, is attainable for all.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions that examine sexual health and sexual function among marginalised populations, with a particular focus on equity, stigma reduction, and rights-based approaches. Populations of interest include, but are not limited to, migrant and refugee communities, displaced persons in humanitarian settings, Indigenous peoples, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, sex workers, people who inject drugs, street-connected youth, and rural or remote communities. We welcome original research and evidence-based papers, such as systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and meta-analyses, that consolidate existing knowledge, highlight gaps, and inform actionable solutions in this area. Themes may include the impact of stigma on care-seeking behaviour, innovative service delivery models, community-led interventions, cultural safety, intersectional approaches, legal and policy reforms, and strategies to strengthen sexual health. Multidisciplinary contributions that address gaps, share best practices, or present novel frameworks for improving sexual health equity are encouraged.