Abstract

Reproductive coercion and abuse is defined as behaviour that deliberately interferes with a person’s reproductive autonomy. It is typically perpetrated by men against women in a context of fear and control and includes forcing a woman to become pregnant or to terminate a pregnancy. There is a dearth of qualitative research investigating experiences of reproductive coercion and abuse, particularly for women from minority ethnic backgrounds. In this study, we address this gap through qualitative analysis of data from six focus groups with service providers in Australia. Three main themes were developed: 1) exploiting structural inequalities; 2) women as reproductive property; and 3) pregnancy as a form of control. Findings confirm the complex interplay between reproductive coercion and abuse, intimate partner and sexual violence, and suggest that community attitudes towards women’s role in sex and reproduction and structural risk factors may complicate this nexus even further for minority ethnic women. It is important for service providers supporting minority ethnic women – particularly in antenatal and abortion care – to be aware of reproductive coercion and abuse. Similarly, policies concerning access to financial support for minority ethnic women should acknowledge the critical role this could play in facilitating or preventing abuse.

摘要

生殖胁迫和虐待被定义为故意干扰一个人的生殖自主权的行为。在恐惧和控制的情况下，男性通常会对女性施以暴力，包括强迫女性怀孕或终止妊娠。缺乏关于生殖胁迫和虐待经验的定性研究，特别是对于少数民族背景的妇女。在这项研究中，我们通过对六个焦点小组与澳大利亚服务提供商的数据进行定性分析来解决这一差距。提出了三个主要主题：1）利用结构性不平等；2）妇女作为生殖财产；3）怀孕作为一种控制方式。调查结果证实了生殖胁迫和虐待，亲密伴侣和性暴力之间的复杂相互作用，并指出，社区对于妇女在性，生殖和结构方面的角色的态度以及结构性危险因素可能会使少数民族妇女的关系更加复杂。对于支持少数族裔妇女（尤其是在产前和堕胎护理中）的服务提供者，重要的是要意识到生殖胁迫和虐待。同样，有关少数族裔妇女获得财政支持的政策应承认这在促进或防止虐待方面可发挥的关键作用。