Sexual and reproductive health challenges facing minority ethnic girls in Vietnam: a photovoice study

This paper describes a study that examined the challenges faced by Vietnamese ethnic minority girls regarding their sexual and reproductive health. The study employed photovoice, a research method which treats photographs and the accompanying stories provided by participants as qualitative data. Twenty-six (26) minority ethnic girls took photographs of aspects of their lives as a way of documenting the challenges, difficulties and barriers that they faced in looking after their sexual and reproductive health. Findings indicated limited access to sexual health knowledge, the exclusion of young people from mainly adult-focused sexual and reproductive health services in minority ethnic communities and the prevalence of cultural beliefs and practices that negatively affected young people's sexual and reproductive health. The intersection of ethnicity, age and gender places Vietnamese ethnic minority girls at risk, as everyday practices informed by culture and tradition curtail their access to the limited sexual and reproductive health information and services available in their communities. Understanding these challenges is needed in developing appropriate policies, programmes and services aimed at enhancing the sexual and reproductive health of this segment of the population.