Refugees + Asylum Seekers
Good health and wellbeing is vital to refugees and asylum seekers' ability to settle successfully in the community.
Refugees and asylum seekers often have multiple and complex health issues. This may be caused by experiences of detention, torture, poverty, trauma, and poor access to healthcare. However, sexual and reproductive health services are often under-used by migrant and refugee communitiesm, which can lead to poor knowledge of, and access to, contraception, STI screening and unplanned pregnancy support.
Finding a refugee and asylum seeker health service
In Victoria, there are many general and specialist refugee health and community care services. Asylum seekers can access most Victorian public health services, such as community health services, and have special access schemes for public hospital services.
If you are a refugee or asylum seeker, or advocating on behalf of a refugee or asylum seeker, 1800 My Options can help you find appropriate sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Contact us on 1800 696 784 (Weekdays 9am – 5pm), or email info@1800myoptions.org.au
If you are not comfortable speaking English, please state your preferred language when you call and we will find you an interpreter.
More information:
- Healthy Horizons
Health information for migrant and refugee women
- Multicultural Health Connect
Call this helpline for health information and advice in your language, from staff who understand your culture.
Call 1800 186 815 between 11:30am to 8pm, 7 days a week, including public holidays.
- Family And Reproductive Rights Education Program (FARREP)
FARREP is a statewide program that seeks to prevent FGM/C (female genital mutilation/cutting) and address sexual and reproductive health issues in communities affected by FGM/C
- Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
A specialist refugee trauma agency supporting survivors of torture and other traumatic events.
- Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health's Multicultural Health & Support Service
This service orks with refugee and migrant communities, and health professionals, to prevent HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections, and offer a multicultural approach to alcohol and other drug support
- Victorian Refugee Health Network
Collaborates amongst health and community services to provide more accessible and appropriate health services for people of refugee backgrounds. Resources including a list of refugee health services available online.
- Health Translations
Health Translations is an online library which enables health practitioners and those working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to easily find free translated health information to assist their patients. It is an initiative of the Victorian Government and is managed by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health, providing easy access to an extensive collection of translated health information. The website is the most reliable and comprehensive collection of multilingual health information produced by Australian organisations.
For more information visit
For information in other languages
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