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Background <p>Forcibly displaced Afghan women face a high risk of poor reproductive outcomes from preexisting and post-settlement inequalities intensified by displacement and inadequate culturally responsive care. Understanding Afghan women’s pre- and post-settlement reproductive issues and experiences, across periods of political and social transition, can highlight needs and improve reproductive outcomes.</p> Objective <p>This scoping review provides a synthesis of the prevalent reproductive health issues among externally displaced Afghan women residing in humanitarian or resettlement settings. It describes the factors impacting reproductive issues and outcomes as well as interventions employed to address gaps.</p> Methods <p>We conducted a search of the Medline (OVID)/EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and Global Health (OVID/CABI) databases from 2000 to 2024 to identify full-text studies in any language reporting on matters related to or influencing the reproductive health of externally displaced Afghan women. Systematic and other reviews and studies focusing merely on sexual health were excluded. We used thematic synthesis with an inductive approach to analyse and report the findings.</p> Results <p>Forty-two studies from eight countries were included in the data extraction. Reproductive health issues, and factors influencing reproductive outcomes, varied across humanitarian and resettlement settings, with some overlap. Reproductive health topics broadly related to family planning and maternal and neonatal outcomes. Facilitators and barriers to reproductive outcomes included linguistic and reproductive literacy, finances, cultural and religious norms, social connections, legal status, communication with health professionals, and justice in service provision. Reproductive outcomes were worse in humanitarian settings than in resettlement countries. However, despite better service availability in resettlement settings, navigating and accessing services is hindered by personal, cultural, and structural barriers.</p> Conclusion <p>Advancing Afghan women’s reproductive rights requires a multidimensional strategy that prioritises women’s autonomy. This necessitates a deeper understanding of the reproductive issues women experience, and the intersecting factors influencing their reproductive decision-making and service access. Drawing upon the synthesis of findings, we advocate for (a) routine collection of disaggregated reproductive data by country of origin, migration status, and other critical data such as literacy levels; (b) codesigned, culturally safe care models; (c) reproductive and health literacy programs; (d) gender-transformative education and interventions that include men and boys; and (e) workforce training and preparedness.</p>

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Reproductive health care experiences and rights of displaced Afghan women, and intersecting factors influencing outcomes: a scoping review

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月26日

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  • Donya Eghrari,
  • Nilab Hamidi,
  • Nicola Creagh,
  • Anna Ziersch,
  • Lucio Naccarella

摘要

Background

Forcibly displaced Afghan women face a high risk of poor reproductive outcomes from preexisting and post-settlement inequalities intensified by displacement and inadequate culturally responsive care. Understanding Afghan women’s pre- and post-settlement reproductive issues and experiences, across periods of political and social transition, can highlight needs and improve reproductive outcomes.

Objective

This scoping review provides a synthesis of the prevalent reproductive health issues among externally displaced Afghan women residing in humanitarian or resettlement settings. It describes the factors impacting reproductive issues and outcomes as well as interventions employed to address gaps.

Methods

We conducted a search of the Medline (OVID)/EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and Global Health (OVID/CABI) databases from 2000 to 2024 to identify full-text studies in any language reporting on matters related to or influencing the reproductive health of externally displaced Afghan women. Systematic and other reviews and studies focusing merely on sexual health were excluded. We used thematic synthesis with an inductive approach to analyse and report the findings.

Results

Forty-two studies from eight countries were included in the data extraction. Reproductive health issues, and factors influencing reproductive outcomes, varied across humanitarian and resettlement settings, with some overlap. Reproductive health topics broadly related to family planning and maternal and neonatal outcomes. Facilitators and barriers to reproductive outcomes included linguistic and reproductive literacy, finances, cultural and religious norms, social connections, legal status, communication with health professionals, and justice in service provision. Reproductive outcomes were worse in humanitarian settings than in resettlement countries. However, despite better service availability in resettlement settings, navigating and accessing services is hindered by personal, cultural, and structural barriers.

Conclusion

Advancing Afghan women’s reproductive rights requires a multidimensional strategy that prioritises women’s autonomy. This necessitates a deeper understanding of the reproductive issues women experience, and the intersecting factors influencing their reproductive decision-making and service access. Drawing upon the synthesis of findings, we advocate for (a) routine collection of disaggregated reproductive data by country of origin, migration status, and other critical data such as literacy levels; (b) codesigned, culturally safe care models; (c) reproductive and health literacy programs; (d) gender-transformative education and interventions that include men and boys; and (e) workforce training and preparedness.