Exploring Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Amongst Refugees with Disabilities in Uganda

People living in forced displacement, including refugees, asylum seekers, and those internally displaced as a result of complex crises, need access to quality services related to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), yet it remains a significant unmet need in humanitarian settings. An estimated 16 percent of displaced populations are people with disabilities who not only have unique vulnerabilities and needs related to their SRHR, but are also known to be disproportionately excluded from healthcare and services. Historically, the sexuality of people with disabilities has been largely misunderstood and stigmatised; and their reproductive rights neglected due to the dynamic interplay between social oppression and numerous environmental and infrastructural barriers. Despite evidence that the 14 million people with disabilities currently navigating humanitarian emergencies continue to be excluded from SRHR-related care, inadequate attention has been paid to the unique needs, challenges, and lived experiences of this population. In this thesis, I present analyses from a qualitative participatory study, conducted in collaboration with people with disabilities, exploring the complex experiences of refugees with disabilities seeking SRHR-related care in Uganda through the lens of intersectionality. I conduct a critical interrogation of how violence and exclusion manifest in complex ways, from individual experiences of sexual violence to overarching structural violence within Uganda’s host and humanitarian system, and argue for a more nuanced approach to understanding how intersectional factors (e.g. impairment, age, gender, and urban vs. settlement context) shape the SRHR of refugees with disabilities. Although global progress has been made toward acknowledging and meaningfully including people with disabilities in complex contexts and specifically in SRHR-related care, this thesis demonstrates the complexity that exists within the label of ‘disability’ and asserts that research, policy, and practice will only be as effective as it is able to identify, accurately capture, and address the immense diversity of lived experiences within this population.