Abstract:

The aim of this research is to examine immigrant women who have migrated to Turkey for various reasons and have different immigrant status, whether employed in various sectors or unemployed, in terms of their access to health services, human rights and women’s rights. For this purpose, face to face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with immigrant women who are the subject of the issue. Our participants were forty-one women, coming from 18 different countries, the sampling had a specific purpose and was conducted theoretically. Data were analyzed using the NVivo software, creating 'analytic' and 'thematic' codes; and constantly checking coding consistency. The findings of the research showed that these women had problems solving their health issues due to the language barrier, not knowing their rights or how to use them, the negative attitudes they faced based on religion, race and gender and inconsistent insurance practices at medical centers. The gender specific experiences of these immigrant women were treated in relation to their condition of being the main healthcare providers in the family or household and the problems related to sexual and reproductive health rights. Moreover, the gender aspect of migration, has been put forward in terms of the right to healthcare. The support of transnational networks and non-governmental organizations were discussed among the solutions that have been found.

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