Bloody Structures! A Qualitative Case Study of the Right to Menstrual Health Among Ethnic Minority Women in Bản Luốc, Vietnam

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores the right to menstrual health among ethnic minority women in Bản Luốc, a rural area in the northern Vietnamese highlands. Using semi-structured interviews with local women and healthcare professionals, alongside participatory observation, the study examines the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (AAAQ) of menstrual health facilities, products and services. Findings reveal that while these are generally available, accessibility, acceptability and quality are constrained by structural factors including remoteness, socioeconomic inequality and cultural stigma. Drawing on Galtung’s concept of structural violence, these structures are understood to cause avoidable and predictable harm to the ethnic minority women of Bản Luốc, disproportionately affecting those who are most marginalised. This study contributes to the emerging field of menstrual health research in rural ethnic minority contexts and highlights the need to address structural barriers to the right to menstrual health.