26th February 2013
New research by the Refugee Council and Maternity Action has recently highlighted in a campaign titled ‘Dignity in Pregnancy’ how housing allocation activities of the UK border agency worsens the loneliness, insecurity and distress faced by pregnant women seeking asylum in the UK. The research notes that uprooting pregnant women seeking asylum in the UK from familiar settings where they may already be in close contact with friends and families can prevent them from receiving specialist healthcare; resulting in them giving birth alone and often struggling to be new mothers in unfamiliar environments. The research calls for a change in policy so that women, irrespective of immigration status, can be treated with dignity during pregnancy.
For more on this story, go here to see the campaign
