Realizing Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrant Workers in Developing Countries

The UN Sustainable Development Goals’ “Leave No One Behind” principle commits all Member States to eradicating poverty, ending discrimination, and reducing the inequalities that undermine people’s potential. This applies directly to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). SDG 3 calls for universal health coverage for all, especially vulnerable and marginalised groups - including refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers. Yet the barriers these populations face in accessing SRHR services are not incidental; they stem from discriminatory laws, policies, and social practices.

In low- and middle-income countries, refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers face compounded barriers to SRHR access. Intersecting discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity produces deep, multigenerational inequalities. International and regional human rights instruments (including the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention) affirm the right to health and SRHR for these groups. This Research Topic advances accountability to those commitments and advocates for the full realisation of SRHR for these populations.

This Research Topic aims to:

o Examine existing legal frameworks relevant to SRHR in developing countries and their adequacy for refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers
o Identify the barriers and challenges these groups face in realising their SRHR
o Share good practices in law, policy, and programming that support SRHR implementation for these populations
o Explore how non-discrimination and equality principles apply to SRHR access

Submitted manuscript contributions may address, but are not limited to:

o Intersectionality and SRHR access for refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers
o Comparative analysis of regional jurisprudence and norms on SRHR
o Domestic legal and policy frameworks for SRHR realisation
o International and regional human rights standards and their adequacy
o Barriers to accessing quality SRHR services
o Strategic litigation as a tool for advancing SRHR
o The role of national courts and regional human rights bodies in protecting SRHR

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Developing countries, Vulnerable and marginalized groups, sexual and reproductive health, SDGs, Human Rights

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.