ArticlePloS one2020
Sexual violence against migrants and asylum seekers. The experience of the MSF clinic on Lesvos Island, Greece.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing the health status of migrants upon arrival in Europe: a systematic review of the adverse impact of migration journeys.Globalization and health · 2024Pooled it
- Sexual and reproductive health needs of refugee women on Lesbos, Greece: a participatory cross-sectional study.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Lived experiences of migrant men witnessing and surviving sexual violence in European transit spaces.Globalization and health · 2025Article
- Conflict-related and sexual trauma in treatment-seeking Arabic-speaking men: a cross-sectional study.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- No evidence, no problem? A critical interpretive synthesis of the vulnerabilities to and experiences of sexual violence among young migrants in Europe.Global health action · 2024Review
- Correction: Sexual violence against migrants and asylum seekers. The experience of the MSF clinic on Lesvos Island, Greece.PloS one · 2024Article
- Incidence of sexual violence among recently arrived asylum-seeking women in France: a retrospective cohort study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2023Article
- It Happened in the Desert, in Libya and in Italy: Physical and Sexual Violence Experienced by Female Nigerian Victims of Trafficking in Italy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Emotions, perceived threat, prejudice, and attitudes towards helping Ukrainian, Syrian, and Somali asylum seekers.PloS one · 2023Article
- Left behind on the path to 90-90-90: understanding and responding to HIV among displaced people.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2022Article
- Victimization of Applicants for International Protection Residing in Belgium: Sexual Violence and Help-Seeking Behavior.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Ammunition Waste Pollution and Preliminary Assessment of Risks to Child Health from Toxic Metals at the Greek Refugee Camp Mavrovouni.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Climate change, health, and conflict in Africa's arc of instability.Perspectives in public health · 2021Article
- Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Mental Health Care of Asylum Seekers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesSexual violence can have a destructive impact on the lives of people. It is more common in unstable conditions such as during displacement or migration of people. On the Greek island of Lesvos, Médecins Sans Frontières provided medical care to survivors of sexual violence among the population of asylum seekers. This study describes the patterns of sexual violence reported by migrants and asylum seekers and the clinical care provided to them.
methodsThis is a descriptive study, using routine program data. The study population consisted of migrants and asylum seekers treated for conditions related to sexual violence at the Médecins Sans Frontières clinic on Lesvos Island (September 2017-January 2018).
resultsThere were 215 survivors of sexual violence who presented for care, of whom 60 (28%) were male. The majority of incidents reported (94%) were cases of rape; 174 (81%) of survivors were from Africa and 185 (86%) of the incidents occurred over a month before presentation. Half the incidents (118) occurred in transit, mainly in Turkey, and 76 (35%) in the country of origin; 10 cases (5%) occurred on Lesvos. The perpetrator was known to the survivor in 23% of the cases. The need for mental health care exceeded the capacity of available mental care services.
conclusionEven though the majority of cases delayed seeking medical care after the incident, it is crucial that access to mental health services is guaranteed for those in need. Such access and security measures for people in transit need to be put in place along migration routes, including in countries nominally considered safe, and secure routes need to be developed.
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