Motherhood, Human Trafficking, and Asylum Seeking: The Experiences and Needs of Survivor Mothers in Birthing and Postnatal Care

Lois Bosatta (), Mariana Crespi de Valldaura, Kevin Bales, Helen Spiby and Laoise Ni Bhriain
Additional contact information
Lois Bosatta: Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Mariana Crespi de Valldaura: Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Kevin Bales: Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Helen Spiby: Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Laoise Ni Bhriain: Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

Societies, 2024, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: This article aims to illuminate the little-studied phenomenon of asylum-seeking child-bearing women in the UK, survivors of violence and human trafficking. This is a significant issue in terms of the proportion of women affected and the paucity of care and support currently available to them as mother survivors. This study looked to examine the frontline support services of one project to survivor mothers through two collaborating organisations, Happy Baby Community and Hestia, and how their services support mothers’ experiences of perinatal mental health, infant feeding, and the general experiences of migrant women and trafficking survivors in maternity care in the UK. Using evidence collected from semi-structured service-users’ interviews and focus groups, and an anonymous online staff survey, this article shows the types of care and support that are required to address not only the challenges faced by any new mother, but also the additional challenges experienced with trafficking and seeking asylum such as mental health, housing, and legal and access to other support. This article illustrates the many complex and inter-related challenges these women face, and the way the project meets practical, informational, emotional, appraisal, and social needs. It concludes by identifying several implications of the support provided and/or needed, which could be considered by other services or policymakers looking to meet the fundamental needs and rights of this cohort.

Keywords: human trafficking; human rights; asylum; refugees; mothers; pregnancy; care; mental health; perinatal support; postnatal support; doula services; inequalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/14/5/69/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/14/5/69/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:14:y:2024:i:5:p:69-:d:1395473

Access Statistics for this article

Societies is currently edited by Ms. Farrah Sun

More articles in Societies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().