Barriers to the Enjoyment of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Lesbian and Bisexual Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mozambique

Carlos Arnaldo, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane
Boaventura Cau, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane
Monica Frederico, Unicersidade Eduardo Mondlane
Estevão Manhice, Centro de Pesquisa em População e Saúde
Ann M. Moore, Guttmacher Institute
Melissa Stillman, Guttmacher Institute

Lesbian and bisexual young women have to navigate the challenges of coming of age while at the same time they are navigating a marginalized sexual identity. In Mozambique, they face social approbation which can manifest in a hostile healthcare environment, which act as a barrier to seeking sexual and reproductive health services. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews collected between July and August 2023 in Nampula Province in northern Mozambique with lesbian or bisexual 18-24 year olds (n=28), this paper explores the individual, dyadic, societal and institutional obstacles they face in attempting to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Understanding the specific sexual and reproductive health needs of this group through listening to their experiences can inform the development of programs and policies to improve access to information and services for this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender Dynamics, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Qualitative data/methods/approaches

See paper.

  Presented in Session 79. Sexuality, Health and Rights: LGBTQ Populations