The sexual and reproductive health experiences of immigrant and refugee women in Australia.

"We should all know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour."
Maya Angelou

Sexual and reproductive health encompasses complex social interactions such as gender relations, power differentials and economic and cultural factors. For many women, culture influences their knowledge, attitudes and practice in regards to their sexual and reproductive health.

For immigrant and refugee women, migration, gender and culture can further impact their sexual and reproductive health. Multicultural Women's Health Australia's Common Threads Project began in September 2011 and is a national cross-cultural awareness initiative which aims to understand the issues, needs, values and experiences of immigrant and refugee women in relation to their sexual and reproductive health. The project will run for nine months and will involve focus group discussions with women as well as consultations with service providers across a variety of disciplines. Women from four different cultural and linguistic groups (Chinese, Indian, Sudanese and Iraqi) will be asked to participate in focus group discussions, which will provide stories and evidence-based information on the challenges faced by immigrant and refugee women when navigating the Australian health system.

Project timeline and activities:

• September 2011: Establish Advisory Committee
• November 2011 - February 2012: Stakeholder consultations
• December 2011 - February 2012: Focus group discussions
• March 2012 - June 2012: Data analysis and report writing
• May 2012: Presentation of findings
• July 2012: Launch of the project report and guide for health professionals

Publication:
This project will result in two publications: a report outlining the main findings from the research, and a guide for health professionals wanting to learn more about the cultural dimensions of sexual and reproductive health and how to make their services more culturally appropriate for immigrant and refugee women.

Why it's needed: background to the project:
In 2000, MCWH was granted funding from the Commonwealth Department of Human Services to conduct research into the sexual and reproductive health of women from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB). This research was published into a report called Knowing Her Better: A Research Report about NESB Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health. The report outlined the challenges and barriers for immigrant and refugee women in terms of accessing appropriate care based on the personal experiences of women from three different cultural and linguistic groups.

Findings from an initial literature review on this same theme demonstrate that the issues raised 11 years ago are still relevant today. As new and emerging communities settle in Australia, this particular study is very much needed to further articulate these issues. As part of the MWHA initiative, the findings from the Common Threads Project will be used as an advocacy tool in order to better meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of immigrant and refugee women in Australia.

For further information, please contact Maria Hach (MWHA Project Officer) on 94180912 or email maria@mcwh.com.au.

Updates:
Focus group facilitation training was conducted at the MCWH office in Collingwood on 11 January, 2011 in preparation for the focus groups discussions. Eight bilingual health educators attended. It was an opportunity for BHEs to learn about the project, the purpose of focus groups, and their role as a facilitator. This lively and interactive session covered the following topics:

• What is a focus group?
• Why is it used?
• When can it be used?
• Your role (the facilitator)
• Your role (the scribe)
• Differences between health sessions and a focus group
• Outline of the project
• Role play