Work

Fragmented reproduction: women's reproductive experiences and the carcerality of Swiss federal asylum camps

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This article examines the experiences of pregnant asylum seekers and mothers with newborn babies living in federal asylum camps in Switzerland. We argue that the carceral nature of these camps affects women's reproductive lives through logics of fragmentation: a fragmented institutional system, insufficient spatial infrastructures within the camps, and a spatio-temporal fragmentation through constant transfers. However, some asylum-seeking women and their “allies” actively navigate and resist this fragmentation by seeking spaces of relief, thereby challenging the carceral nature of the asylum system. By combining carceral geographies with interdisciplinary studies of refugees' reproductive health, we provide a more nuanced understanding of the impact of the carceral system on reproductive lives.

Source: Geographica Helvetica

DOI: 10.5194/gh-81-273-2026

Authors: Laura Perler, Milena Wegelin, Nina Etter, Carolin Schurr

Institutions: University of Bern, Bern University of Applied Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Migration and Exile Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality, Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung