Page 9 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 9
Preface
Sabina Ličen
University of Primorska
sabina.licen@fvz.upr.si
Today, migration is a global reality. People leave their homelands for various
reasons such as poverty and low incomes, high unemployment, persecution
and poor respect of human rights, internal conflict and war, etc. In recent
times, our region and the area of neighbouring Italy have seen a growing
number of migrant women migrate from their own country for reasons to do
with reproductive health or birth. In fact, for many migrant women, issues
associated with insufficient or poor sexual and reproductive health in their
countries can lead to worse perinatal outcomes than those experienced by
women generally. Moreover, migrant women in developed countries often
experience more complicated pregnancy outcomes and less women are able
to access preventive gynaecology services. The latter may be due to poor
cultural competence knowledge among health professionals or other bar-
riers encountered by migrant women. With a view to delivering culturally-
sensitive healthcare to migrant women, the EU programme INTERREG V-A
Italy–Slovenia 2014–2020 funded the project ‘Cross-Border Network for Mi-
grant Women: Social Integration, Sexual and Reproductive Health (INTEGRA),’
led by the University of Trieste in Italy.
The project outcomes included this scientific monograph ‘Women, Migra-
tions and Health: Ensuring Transcultural Healthcare’ which addresses various
aspects of migration and women’s health like social integration, sexual and
reproductive health, along with related cultural practices, and the develop-
ment of cultural competencies among healthcare professionals in delivering
culturally sensitive healthcare.
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the main theme of the book – migrant
women. Women are often heavily involved in the survival of their families
and communities, but today the ‘feminisation of migration’ and ‘feminisa-
tion of survival’ processes are very evident. Observation of the sexual and
reproductive health of women can provide a good indicator of the extent of
integration of cultural communities by revealing women’s capacity for auton-
omy and self-determination, a fundamental condition for recognition of their
rights and for identifying with the models and values of democratic society,
as discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 presents data on the number of migrant
7
Sabina Ličen
University of Primorska
sabina.licen@fvz.upr.si
Today, migration is a global reality. People leave their homelands for various
reasons such as poverty and low incomes, high unemployment, persecution
and poor respect of human rights, internal conflict and war, etc. In recent
times, our region and the area of neighbouring Italy have seen a growing
number of migrant women migrate from their own country for reasons to do
with reproductive health or birth. In fact, for many migrant women, issues
associated with insufficient or poor sexual and reproductive health in their
countries can lead to worse perinatal outcomes than those experienced by
women generally. Moreover, migrant women in developed countries often
experience more complicated pregnancy outcomes and less women are able
to access preventive gynaecology services. The latter may be due to poor
cultural competence knowledge among health professionals or other bar-
riers encountered by migrant women. With a view to delivering culturally-
sensitive healthcare to migrant women, the EU programme INTERREG V-A
Italy–Slovenia 2014–2020 funded the project ‘Cross-Border Network for Mi-
grant Women: Social Integration, Sexual and Reproductive Health (INTEGRA),’
led by the University of Trieste in Italy.
The project outcomes included this scientific monograph ‘Women, Migra-
tions and Health: Ensuring Transcultural Healthcare’ which addresses various
aspects of migration and women’s health like social integration, sexual and
reproductive health, along with related cultural practices, and the develop-
ment of cultural competencies among healthcare professionals in delivering
culturally sensitive healthcare.
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the main theme of the book – migrant
women. Women are often heavily involved in the survival of their families
and communities, but today the ‘feminisation of migration’ and ‘feminisa-
tion of survival’ processes are very evident. Observation of the sexual and
reproductive health of women can provide a good indicator of the extent of
integration of cultural communities by revealing women’s capacity for auton-
omy and self-determination, a fundamental condition for recognition of their
rights and for identifying with the models and values of democratic society,
as discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 presents data on the number of migrant
7
