Lay summary
Refugee women in Aotearoa New Zealand face significant barriers to accessing ethical and culturally safe care for HSV-2 (genital herpes), a chronic, highly stigmatised sexually transmitted infection. Despite the global prevalence of HSV-2, refugee populations remain largely invisible in sexual health research and underserved in policy frameworks. This proposed scoping review seeks to fill a critical knowledge gap by mapping existing international and New Zealand literature on HSV-2 care for refugee women, with a specific focus on ethical considerations, systemic barriers, and culturally responsive models of care.
Refugee women are uniquely impacted by intersecting forms of marginalisation including stigma, limited access to culturally appropriate services, language challenges, and economic constraints. These intersecting factors often result in delayed or avoided care, reinforcing health inequities. To date, no research in Aotearoa has examined HSV-2 care through the lens of refugee women's lived experiences or analysed the ethical frameworks guiding such care. This