Cross-sectional study reports low healthcare access, unmet needs in family planning, and high reports of gender-based violence among refugee women in Lesbos, indicating urgent service requirements.
OP 17: Refugees and Asylum Seekers 1, B210 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 13:30 - 14:30 Objective To describe the prevalence of common sexual and reproductive health (SRH) indicators among women of reproductive age residing in Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) Mavrovouni on Lesbos, Greece, and describe to what extent these women access healthcare. Methods A household survey comprising 119 questions across nine SRH domains was completed by 247 refugee women of reproductive age residing in CCAC Mavrovouni. Nine refugee co-researchers were engaged in question development, recruitment, data collection, and analysis in June and July 2023. Results Most women reported adequate antenatal care (89%, 25/28) and healthcare-assisted births (100%, 14/14), but postpartum care was suboptimal with 44% (7/16) not accessing any services despite 63% (10/16) reporting complications. About half (47%, 56/120) of women with children were single mothers. Two women had a child die at sea. Family planning showed considerable unmet need, with only 24% (42/178) of women using modern contraception and over 25% (17/66) desiring fertility treatment but none accessing it. Despite 83% (173/208) reporting adequate access to menstrual materials, only 14% (29/207) were able to consistently alleviate pain. Of 246 women, 146 (61%) experienced gynaecological symptoms, yet 60 (43%) did not access healthcare. Low screening for sexually transmitted infections (18%, 43/240) and cervical cancer (0.4%, 1/246) was reported. Of 244 women, 74% (180/244) experienced verbal, 52% (127/244) physical, and 36% (87/244) sexual abuse in their lifetime. Gender-based violence was most reported in home countries, during travel and during pushbacks. 54% (133/147) of women experienced at least one pushback and 23% (57/247) reported denial of medical care. Across all domains, most women (67%-91%) had not received healthcare information. Conclusion In refugee camp Mavrovouni, there is an urgent need for comprehensive SRH services that address diverse health needs. Participatory household surveys, with refugees in the lead, enhance the relevance and accuracy of findings.
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Sherally et al. (2025) studied this question.
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