Skip to main content
Country Code
AU

Addressing female genital mutilation in the Asia Pacific: the neglected sustainable development target

While much work has focused on advocacy and prevention efforts in countries of high prevalence in Africa and diaspora in Europe, there has been a paucity of discussion on FGM in the Asia‐Pacific region. FGM is practised in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines and Indonesia; however, none of these countries are supported by the UNFPA‐UNICEF Joint Programme on the Abandonment of FGM. Australia and New Zealand are also home to migrant women and girls with FGM.

The MIPEX Health strand: a longitudinal, mixedmethods survey of policies on migrant health in 38 countries

Abstract 
 
Background Within health systems, equity between migrants and native-born citizens is still a long way from being achieved. Benchmarking the equitability of policies on migrant health is essential for monitoring progress and identifying positive and negative aspects of national policies. For this purpose, the 2015 round of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) was expanded to include a strand on health, in a collaborative project carried out between 2013 and 2017 in 38 countries. 
 

Exploring attitudes to drug use among East African migrants and refugees in Melbourne’s Western suburbs

Year Project Started
Role in the Project
Main Outcome
Three key motivations for heavy alcohol consumption were identified: drinking to cope with trauma, drinking to cope with boredom and frustration and drinking as a social experience. Exposure to IDU was common, with IDU characterized as unnatural, risky and immoral. IDU was highly stigmatized and hidden from family and friends. There is a need for culturally appropriate programs to promote open dialogue about substance use to reduce stigma and prevent African youth who may use alcohol or illicit drugs from becoming further marginalized.