ABSTRACT
AIM: To systematically map the extent, range and nature of qualitative studies that explored female sex workers' own perspectives on barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare services. DESIGN: A scoping review of the literature utilizing Arksey and O'Malley's method. DATA SOURCES/REVIEW METHODS: A search of the electronic databases MEDLINE/ PubMed, PsycNET, Sociological Abstracts, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, HeinOnline, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar was conducted for items published in English between 2001 and 2021. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were included in the review, the majority of which were conducted in lower-middle-income countries. RHC themes studied were diverse, with a few more studies focusing on STI/HIV, contraceptive use and pregnancy than those focusing on childbirth and postnatal care. The findings indicate barriers in four main domains: socio-legal barriers, health services-related barriers, interpersonal barriers and personal history-related barriers. Stigma was a major multifaceted barrier. CONCLUSION: Female sex workers experience exclusion in utilizing reproductive healthcare services globally. As such, healthcare services are advised to adopt a nonjudgemental approach, to enhance physical accessibility and to train nurses and other healthcare professionals on reproductive health needs of female sex workers. Finally, knowledge production processes on the RHC of FSW should adopt a holistic view of FSW, by exploring their needs and barriers related to childbirth and maternity care and by including the perspectives of FSW in high-income countries. IMPACT: The review offered an in-depth understanding of female sex workers' own perspectives regarding needs and barriers in utilizing reproductive healthcare services. Findings indicated socio-legal barriers, health services-related barriers, interpersonal barriers and personal history-related barriers. The review could inform the training of nurses and other healthcare professionals in reproductive healthcare services globally. Researchers should adopt a holistic view of female sex workers, by exploring their family planning needs, including barriers related to childbirth, maternity and postpartum care. REPORTING METHOD: We adhered to the EQUATOR guidelines PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation.
ABSTRACT
This study examined perceptions of marriage and sexuality among male asylum seekers from Eritrea. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 men living in Israel. Their perceptions of marriage and sexuality were found to be influenced by their life as asylum seekers, and particularly by their encounter with a different culture, by their lack of legal status, and by the marked numerical imbalance between women and men within their community. Changes in their perceptions occurred after their arrival in Israel, and included greater relaxing of social codes and the transition from a relatively 'closed' sexual mindset to a more 'open' one. It is important to understand how lack of status affects male asylum seekers' intimate relationships with women, and to recognise such men as subjects with legitimate sexual and partnering needs, thereby broadening existing discourse in this field, which tends to present male asylum seekers primarily as sources of cheap labour and as sexual Others.
