New research on maternity care for trafficked women
Trafficked women and adolescents are at risk of unprotected or forced sex, however there is little research on maternity care among trafficking survivors. A new study explores health care needs, service use and challenges surrounding maternity care for women who became pregnant while in the trafficking situation in the United Kingdom.
Research was undertaken via qualitative interviews with trafficking survivors recruited from statutory and voluntary sector organisations in England, and qualitative interviews with maternity clinicians and family doctors undertaken to offer further insight into experiences reported by these women.
The research found that of those who took part in the study, more than one in four became pregnant while trafficked, highlighting that maternity services are an important contact point for identification and care. Challenges included restrictions placed on women’s movements by traffickers, poor knowledge on how to access maternity care, poor understanding of healthcare entitlements and concerns about confidentiality. From a clinician perspective, the importance of antenatal care and screening for sexually transmitted infections is readily accessible, given the prevalence of sexual exploitation and abuse amongst trafficking survivors. Clinicians recognise the potential indicators of trafficking, but specialised training would help.
Debra Bick, Professor of Evidence Based Midwifery Practice in the Department of Women and Children’s Health and Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, was lead author of this paper , which presented findings from a Department of Health Policy Research Unit funded study undertaken in collaboration with colleagues from the IoPPN at King’s and other institutions, including London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Professor Bick said:
"Trafficking of men, women and children is a global crime and numbers of individuals being trafficked are increasing across all settings. This paper presents the first findings of use of NHS maternity services by women trafficked in the UK. They show the important role the NHS played in ensuring women received safe, high quality maternity care. Much more work is needed now to consider how best to support ongoing care of women and their infants and ensure NHS midwives and other front-line staff are able to identify and appropriately support trafficked women."
Read the full paper.