Bloody Structures! A Qualitative Case Study of the Right to Menstrual Health Among Ethnic Minority Women in Bản Luốc, Vietnam

Sammanfattning

This qualitative case study explores the right to menstrual health among ethnic minoritywomen in Bản Luốc, a rural area in the northern Vietnamese highlands. Usingsemi-structured interviews with local women and healthcare professionals, alongsideparticipatory observation, the study examines the availability, accessibility, acceptability andquality (AAAQ) of menstrual health facilities, products and services. Findings reveal thatwhile these are generally available, accessibility, acceptability and quality are constrained bystructural factors including remoteness, socioeconomic inequality and cultural stigma.Drawing on Galtung’s concept of structural violence, these structures are understood to causeavoidable and predictable harm to the ethnic minority women of Bản Luốc,disproportionately affecting those who are most marginalised. This study contributes to theemerging field of menstrual health research in rural ethnic minority contexts and highlightsthe need to address structural barriers to the right to menstrual health.