Migrant women in Morocco face significant barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, including lack of information, stigmatization, language and cultural barriers, and administrative and economic difficulties, while facilitators include quality welcome, NGO support, and free access to certain services.
The majority of migrant study participants were young adults with very low rates of medical coverage and income.
Lack of information was identified as a major barrier to accessing sexual and reproductive health services for migrants in Morocco.
Stigmatization was identified as a key barrier to SRH service access for migrants in Morocco.
Language and cultural barriers constituted a significant obstacle to SRH service access, despite all participants speaking French.
Administrative and economic difficulties were identified as barriers to SRH service access for migrants.
Several facilitators to SRH service access were identified, including quality of welcome, NGO support, trust in Moroccan health services, health professional support, and free access to certain services.
The study identified a need for enhanced inclusion, reduced discrimination, and simplified administrative procedures to improve migrant access to healthcare in Morocco.
This research suggests that migrant women living in Morocco face multiple overlapping challenges when trying to access sexual and reproductive health services, such as prenatal care, contraception, and related medical support. The study gathered information through group discussions with 48 migrants (24 women and 24 men) in Rabat and Casablanca in July 2024. The participants were predominantly young adults from Côte d'Ivoire, and while all spoke French, the vast majority lacked health insurance (94%) and most had no income (77%), leaving them highly economically vulnerable. The barriers they identified included not knowing what services were available, experiencing stigma and discrimination, facing cultural and language differences in clinical settings, and struggling with administrative requirements and costs. Despite these challenges, the study also found positive factors that helped migrants access care. These included being welcomed respectfully by healthcare staff, receiving help from non-governmental organizations and community associations, having trust in the Moroccan health system, and the existence of some services that are provided free of charge. These facilitators suggest that when the right support structures are in place, migrants are willing and able to engage with health services. This research suggests that improving migrant access to sexual and reproductive health services in Morocco would require action on multiple fronts: better information dissemination, anti-discrimination efforts within healthcare settings, cultural competency among health workers, and simplification of administrative processes. The findings are particularly relevant as Morocco continues to serve as both a destination and transit country for growing numbers of Sub-Saharan African migrants, making equitable healthcare access an increasingly important public health issue.
Amaghdour C, Munezero C, Belouali R, Hassouni K. (2026). Improving access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services by migrant women in Morocco: A qualitative study.. La Tunisie medicale. https://doi.org/10.62438/tunismed.v103i4.5507