A Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) project backed by federal funding is seeking B.C. South Asian students to participate in a research study examining their sexual and reproductive health experiences and challenges.

KPU criminology instructor Dr. Sunny Mangat has partnered with KPU faculty and student researchers and local community organizations to uncover the barriers South Asian students face when they need sexual and reproductive health care.

The study, led by KPU researcher Dr. Sunny Mangat, focuses on South Asian women and South Asian LGBTQ+ students. It will examine the barriers international and domestic students face when navigating health services in B.C., as well as the factors that may make them vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation and other harms.

Supported by a $357,883 College and Community Social Innovation Fund grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the study will explore how cultural, informational and systemic factors shape students’ experiences and access to care.

Researchers will examine issues such as seeking reproductive health care, including abortion and sexually transmitted infection-related services, accessing support after experiences of sexual violence or exploitation, understanding reporting options and concerns such as threats of deportation. Findings will be used to help inform policies, programs and services that support student health and well-being.

Mangat says the project emerged from repeated conversations with students, service providers and community organizations who were seeing similar challenges firsthand.

“I have students in my office all the time who are dealing with issues they don’t know who to talk to about,” says Mangat, a criminology instructor at KPU. “I’ve had students who have never been able to come out to anybody before but felt comfortable doing so with me. We need to create that space for these students. Their experiences are real and they need to be documented.”

The study builds on previous community conversations about gender-based violence and health equity.

“Universities need to provide more support, and institutions at all layers need to recognize that when we’re working with marginalized people, their needs are fundamentally different,” says Mangat. “The first step is creating awareness that this is actually happening. It’s not just rumours. From there, we can work together as a community and with institutions to develop supports that better meet students’ needs.”

Community organizations will play a key role in outreach and engagement throughout the study. Among them is the Poetic Justice Foundation, a Surrey-based organization that develops content, workshops and events aimed at addressing social inequalities and bias.

“South Asian students often carry their struggles in silence, and when they do reach out, the systems meant to help them don’t always see the full picture. We have to meet people where they’re at, and that means understanding every barrier standing between them and care, from immigration fears and language to stigma, family pressure and caste,” says Anita Lal, co-founder and director of the Poetic Justice Foundation.

Students interested in participating in the study can contact shresearch@kpu.ca or email Mangat directly at sundeep.mangat@kpu.ca. More information can be found on the Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Collective website.