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Paper short abstract:

Ethnographic account on Afghan refugee women in Delhi, highlighting their resilience in tackling health barriers, period poverty, and food insecurity through community networks and NGOs. to discuss global health inequities, marginalised voices, and explore actionable, intersectional strategies.

Paper long abstract:

The health polycrisis has intensified existing inequalities for marginalized communities, particularly for women, girls, and trans/non-binary individuals in precarious settings. Afghan refugee women in Delhi occupy a unique position at the nexus of intersecting vulnerabilities—legal precariousness, economic insecurity, gender-based violence (GBV), and barriers to accessing healthcare. Drawing from my ethnographic research, this paper examines how Afghan refugee women resist and adapt to the compounded challenges posed by the polycrisis. Through narratives of lived experiences, I highlight how these women navigate structural inequalities by mobilizing community-based networks, employing indigenous health practices, and engaging with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Despite systemic exclusions, Afghan refugee women demonstrate resilience by reshaping health-seeking behaviors, cultivating social solidarity, and asserting agency within patriarchal and resource-constrained environments. However, such resistance often comes at a personal cost, further entrenching inequalities like increased reproductive health challenges, period poverty, and unsafe coping mechanisms, including early hysterectomies. By situating their struggles within broader crises like climate change, economic instability, and global displacement patterns, this paper underscores the importance of intersectional frameworks in understanding the impact of the polycrisis on gendered health outcomes. It calls for inclusive, multi-scalar interventions that center the voices and agency of marginalized women in addressing these overlapping crises.