Undocumented women

When talk about undocumented women, we mean women living in Germany without legal residency status. This term is intended to clarify that the people themselves are not illegal but that they have experienced structural discrimination due to the legal framework, resulting in illegal residency. People become ‘undocumented’ when they are denied access to an official legal residency status. People who are affected by this are also known as undocumented migrants or, in other languages, sans papiers, sin papeles, etc. (See also https://medibuero.de/leben-in-der-illegalitaet-2/) Undocumented women who live in Germany without documents or a regular residency status are often not visible in society – but they exist. International human rights apply to them, too.

For undocumented women, access to regular health care, which is very important during pregnancy, can be even more difficult due to their legal situation. This makes personal networks and resources particularly important for undocumented women.

We would like to learn more about your experiences with the German health care system. Who helped you access the health care that you were entitled to? What organisations or people supported you? How did you feel during the time around your unintended pregnancy?

If you recognise yourself and your experiences in this description, we would be very grateful if you would get in touch with us and agree to share your story with us. Your experiences are important! All conversations are, of course, fully anonymised so no conclusions can be drawn about your identity.

• Affected by violence
• Migrants
• Refugees