DKT Mexico to Enhance Contraceptive Access for Migrant Women passing through Mexico
By Valerie Busquets Vass, DKT Mexico
The men, women and children who endure the journey from the Darien Gap in Panama to the U.S. Southwestern border face well-documented hardships: hunger, thirst, and physical danger are constant threats. Both Panama (The Darien Gap) and Mexico (The Southern border) are key crossing points for thousands of migrants every year. From January to March 2024, Mexico reported an 200 per cent increase of migrant events, compared to the first quarter of 2023, reaching 359,591.
For women in particular, the 2,500-mile journey is even more perilous and complex with respect to their sexual and reproductive wellness and safety.
Those who make the journey in search of better opportunities face grave risks, including human trafficking, physical violence, and sexual abuse. Sadly, many migrants live this struggle in silence, fearing deportation if they speak out about their experiences. Women who embark on this passage also encounter a general lack of access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, prenatal/postpartum care and general wellness support, which could become critical to their overall health as they migrate north.
To support solutions to this problem, DKT Mexico has partnered with Parteras Apoyando Migrantes (PAM) – a network of 22 midwives working throughout Mexico who provide midwifery care to migrant women. DKT will procure and provide DMPA-SC Self injections, implants, emergency contraceptive pills and health kits, so PAM can provide these critical supplies to migrant women. Speaking with Metta Weaver and Latisha Serrano, the co-founders of PAM, was truly eye-opening regarding the hardships that the migrant population endure during their journey and the scarcity of people willing to assist them.
The women said that in Oaxaca, PAM typically assists women with healthcare using a mobile van since they struggle to secure leased spaces and landlords are often reluctant to rent to migrant aid organizations. There is an urgent need to offer access to contraception amongst migrant women who suffer sexual abuse, specifically those who agree to maintain sexual intercourse with men they meet during their journey in exchange for some sense of security. The DMPA-SC self-injection offers a practical and discreet solution to protect migrant women from unplanned pregnancies during their journey, as it provides protection for three months, and its self-injection quality allows migrant women to take one or two shots for the remainder of their journey.
A study on sexual and reproductive health services available to Central American women residing in shelters at Tijuana, Mexico found a discrepancy between the contraceptive methods being offered and the ones preferred by migrant women. One doctor interviewed for the study said, the vast majority of women wanted an injection or pills because of persistent negative perceptions of more invasive methods.
DKT Mexico is proud to support PAM and migrant women, as they understand the urgent need for contraceptive access for this population. The project is underway with product procurements, scheduling and on-site training. The kits and contraceptives are expected to be distributed by October.
Mario Flores Alvarez, DKT’s Regional Director for DKT’s operations in Latin America North (LATAN) said migrants (especially women) from the region – and even from other continents – have to face unimaginable hardships by walking for months seeking basic freedoms and opportunities.
To ensure the women being served were receiving the best intervention, DKT Mexico conducted an online investigation and several interviews with Parteras Apoyando Migrantes to enhance protection for migrant women by procuring DMPA-SC Self injection shots and 30,000 health kits, which will be distributed through PAM’s network. Each interested migrant will receive one shot of DMPA-SC upon request, along with an additional two doses for their journey, as well as a health kit and a contact sheet detailing the locations of PAM’s staff in the country. This ensures that each woman will have nine months of contraceptive protection and ongoing support until they reach their destination.
“This organization of midwives, out of the kindness of their hearts, have decided to provide basic humanitarian assistance to migrant women transiting through Mexico,” Flores Alvarez said. “We are eager to see the results and extend it through Central America.”