A Lack of Comfort, Care, & Trust 

Feeling safe, comfortable, and heard by your physicians determines if people will willingly seek out healthcare. For many refugee women, they have vocalized that comfort and trust have been issues for them. A study conducted by Hawkey et al. in both Canada and Australia discussed some of the stigmas these women were met with. The women discussed feeling rushed in consultations, stating that they weren’t in the office with their doctor for more than ten minutes, which gives the impression of poor bedside manners. Practitioners were described as very cold and impersonal by participants.   

Syrian refugees, in particular, reported a lack of communication/follow-ups concerning prenatal care and miscarriages. Other participants in the study described feeling unheard when trying to address sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns, leaving consultations without a satisfactory outcome/solution, misdiagnoses, or being prescribed unsuccessful treatments. A combination of stigma, receiving culturally insensitive care, or having mismatched expectations of care contributes to the declining likelihood of reaching out to healthcare practitioners for future aid (Hawkey et al. 2022). 

The general consensus amongst participants in varied studies expressed the need to create an environment of trust and comfort, where procedures conducted at a slower pace and practitioners are gentler/more understanding with women from migrant and refugee backgrounds, especially in instances where they (the women refugees) are highly unfamiliar with said procedures (particularly ones concerning discussions about sexual health). 

Exploring Cultural Barriers 

One aspect of healthcare barriers stems from refugee relations to mental health. Many non-western countries harbor stigmas around mental health assessments/awareness. Additionally, there is a lack of integration of cultural practices and values for mental health interventions to account for the nuances many refugees face that residents may not. A 2022 study confirmed that cultural incorporation was extremely important, especially for Black individuals’ mental health, but is the least seen/adopted in current mental health services (King et al. 2022). This, in addition to privacy concerns are barriers that prevent refugee women from seeking out these types of services. 

Additionally, much of the focus on trauma and mental health from professionals for refugees focuses on their pre-migration. The additional strain on their mental health that is associated with relocation, resettlement, and adjusting to new sociocultural norms/practices is not explored to the same extent (Negash et al. 2025). This can include factors such as racism, struggling to find employment, finding housing, and isolation from community/loneliness. 

Differences in cultural practices/beliefs can prove to be challenging. A Muslim woman, for example, may not want to deal with male doctors/practitioners due to cultural or religious beliefs. If female practitioners are not taking on new patients at her time of need, she would be left without a physician and would have to wait for a prolonged period of time for the appropriate accommodations to their request. Many refugees of Muslim background also feel large discomfort in discussing anything that pertains to sex or sexual health due to cultural taboos surrounding the topic for women. The line of questioning doctors ask about one’s sexual activity (the frequency and with how many partners) can feel invasive for those with more conservative cultural/religious backgrounds (Hawkey et al. 2022), thereby creating stigma surrounding sexual health conversations, as well as deterring them from coming to a doctor in the future. 

Language barriers also provide complications in receiving treatment. While some patients may have access to interpreters, many are uncomfortable with the presence of one during appointments/consultations due to the private nature of the care they are seeking out (Heer et al. 2024). In these cases, bilingual practitioners would be preferable as they would know how to navigate the medical technicalities associated with treatment/diagnoses and eliminate the presence of a third party in an intimate environment. However, many practitioners do not always happen to be bilingual in the given language of the patient, hence the issues with communicating and understanding treatment. 

Concerns from African refugee women are based on Canada’s lack of knowledge surrounding Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and how to care for patients who have undergone it. Women who have undergone FGC have been recorded to have higher rates of c-sections, prolonged labor, instrumental labor, and perineal tears due to practitioner’s lack of knowledge/experience dealing with FGC patients (Negash et al. 2025).One study reported that African women who had undergone FGC stated that healthcare providers generally lacked an understanding around FGC, even ridiculing them or making hurtful comments towards them. There were little to no discussions about safe childbirth procedures that were compatible with patients who had undergone FGC. Furthermore, refugee women’s experiences with maternity services found that during the settlement period, many refugee women continue to face challenges such as economic hardships, limited social networks, and low/limited English proficiency (King et al. 2022; Negash et al. 2025). 

A combination of anti-Black racism, xenophobia, and lack of cultural awareness impacted the level of care and professionalism these women were met with. What this underscores is the overall need for healthcare providers and educators to be aware of specific cultural beliefs, practices and preferences in relation to women’s SRH (as well as their general health) to provide culturally competent care both within and outside of a clinical context. Refugee women (much like the rest of us) need to feel a level of trust, security, and genuine care when seeking healthcare services. Healthcare is a human right, and in accordance with the contents of CEDAW, we have an obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill these rights. Incorporating a more culturally aware/inclusive environment would be beneficial to all patients of all backgrounds, whether they’re permanent residents or refugees.