Health and Social-Behavioral Outcomes of Migrant Women Residing in the Urban Slums of Dhaka: Preliminary Evidence from the SAFE Study

Sajeda Amin, Population Council
Laila Rahman, Population Council
Md. Irfan Hossain, Population Council
Sigma Ainul, Population Council
Ruchira Naved, ICDDR,B
Ashish Bajracharya, Population Council

This paper explores social, behavioral and health outcomes of migrant women living in urban slum areas of Dhaka, an understudied and vulnerable population. Using data on 15 to 29 year old women residing in slums from the baseline study (N=2989) of a unique multi-sectoral intervention program (SAFE) designed to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among vulnerable women, we examine the influence of migration status on women's SRHR and marriage outcomes. Preliminary results from descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses suggest that women who migrated to Dhaka face adverse SRHR outcomes, including being less likely to have adequate knowledge about sexual rights and sexually transmitted diseases, and lower likelihood of utilization of maternal healthcare services, compared to women who were born in Dhaka. Analyses of marriage outcomes however do not yield significant indications that migration status is associated with adverse marriage outcomes.