New multilingual websites on sexual and reproductive health for migrants
BZgA
Two websites that aim to increase the sexual and reproductive health literacy of migrants and to improve their knowledge on available sexual and reproductive health services in Belgium and Germany were recently launched. They were jointly developed by the German Federal Centre for Health Education, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research on Sexual and Reproductive Health, and the Belgian nongovernmental organization Sensoa.
The websites, called Zanzu, provide information on various topics including:
- sexuality
- relationships
- contraception
- sexually transmitted infections.
Each site is available in many languages including Albanian, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. It has text-to-speech technology and uses plain language, supported by explanatory images. It focuses on migrants, and counsellors and physicians who work with migrants in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
WHO/Europe was part of an international advisory board, which provided scientific and strategic support in the website development.
WHO/Europe is committed to promote equity in health, health throughout the life-course and health literacy in the general population and particularly in vulnerable groups, such as migrants. These principles are reinforced in internationally adopted documents such as:
- the European policy framework Health 2020
- the Minsk Declaration on the life-course approach in the context of Health 2020
- the European action plan for sexual and reproductive health and rights (under development).
