Birthing at European Union Borders: A qualitative multi-method study of perinatal Afghan women’s experiences on the move through Serbia

Decades of instability in Afghanistan have resulted in large-scale migration of Afghans yet few legal routes to safety exist. Pregnancy and birth continue while on the way for some Afghan women making state-unauthorised journeys to the European Union (EU). This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Afghan women in Serbia during the perinatal period, with a focus on understanding their interactions with, and the provision of, maternity care. I collected qualitative data between 2021 and 2022 (unstructured observations in spaces occupied by Afghan women, narrative interviews with Afghan women, and semi-structured interviews with providers of perinatal care and support). Data were analysed using open coding, thematic narrative analysis, and reflexive thematic analysis respectively. I also conducted a public engagement project using a co-developed webcomic to visually elicit questionnaire responses from Serbian health professionals and women’s civil society members about their awareness and opinions of childbearing Afghan women in Serbia. My findings revealed how the EU migration regime filters down to Serbian migration governance, which reproduces harms to perinatal Afghan women in Serbia. I showed the obstetric violence experienced by Afghan women during labour and birth, and the role played by non-clinical actors in bridging the gap between women and clinical care providers. I also foregrounded the creative agency enacted by Afghan women in resistance to bordering practices that attempt to halt or decelerate their entry into the EU. This study makes a significant original contribution to the discourse on maternity and migration, and understandings of maternal and newborn health needs of Afghan women migrating through Serbia.