Access to safe abortion along major migratory routes
Women and other people with childbearing capacity on the migration route in Mexico face violence and discrimination, and many migrants are unaware of their rights, such as the right to care in cases of sexual violence and access to abortion. In this context, Ipas LAC is committed to expanding access to safe abortion among the migrant population.
During their perilous journey, many women experience sexual and gender-based violence. Without local connections or knowledge when crossing into Mexico, these women often have serious sexual and reproductive health needs, but fear deportation if they seek care.
Due to factors such as violence, gangs, climate change and economic hardship, an estimated 25 million people, half of them women, migrate through Latin America each year. Many arrive at Mexico's southern border, including 45,000 women, mostly from Central America. This makes the country one of the largest migration corridors in the world, making Mexico a country of origin, destination, transit and return for many migrants.
In transit through Mexico, many women and others with the capacity to bear children experience sexual and gender-based violence. Without connections or knowledge of the context when crossing through the country, these individuals often have serious sexual and reproductive health needs, but fear deportation if they seek care.
To address these urgent needs, Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean forged strong partnerships with federal, state and local organizations and institutions. Together, we trained health workers and provided health education for migrants, and created the first Spanish-language chatbot created specifically to address the information needs of migrants, which offers reliable information on sexual violence, reproductive rights, access to safe abortion, public health services and local supports.
The photographs in this section were taken by Victoria Razo.
In the southern Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco, we document the work we have done with local organizations and institutions with whom we have partnered to support migrants’ access to reproductive health.
Dozens of migrants from different countries wait their turn to be attended to at the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (COMAR) in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico.
A chatbot designed for and from the perspective of migrant people.
To design a chatbot that addressed the real needs of the migrant community, Ipas LAC used the user-centered design methodology, which included direct input from migrants, as well as from a broad network of civil society organizations, government institutions and international entities that work directly with this population.
The result was “Te Acompaño”an innovative web platform created to expand access to information, services and accompaniment for people seeking safe abortion and other sexual and reproductive health services along Mexico’s main migration routes. Te Acompaño leverages information technology to provide personalized information available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through a chatbot that offers users a conversational experience. Migrants can access the chatbot free of charge via cell phone or computer, guaranteeing their privacy and anonymity at all times.
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Since its launch in September 2023, the chatbot has registered 9,712 interactions with 5,841 clicks on reference resources*, such as the map of misoprostol outlets, the directory of organizations that offer abortion accompaniment (in support of people who decide to self-manage their procedure) and public services that deal with cases of violence.
*Data through September 2024.
interactions with the chatbot
clicks to referred content
Users and migration experts agree:
“The Te acompaño chatbot is a truly powerful tool.”
“Any time we need support, we can access “
“Whenever you need support, you can access this tool,” says Saraí Gómez in describing the chatbot. Gomez, a Honduran migrant, stands here with her family in front of a street mural promoting Te Acompaño and the reproductive health information it provides. Gomez fled threats of gang violence and left her home in the middle of the night in search of safety for her children.
Elizabeth Martinez, from Honduras, reads a brochure about the Te Acompaño chatbot and the resources it offers. She learned about the chatbot through Ipas LAC and our local partner Una Mano Amiga. “It’s a very good automated tool, easy to use, where they listen to you and where you can express yourself freely, and they will give you the attention you need and deserve at that moment.”
Yadira Esmeralda Guerrero Castro, of Tapachula-based Una Mano Amiga in the fight against AIDS, gives an educational session for migrants in which she shares the chatbot Te Acompaño. A Helping Hand, a key partner of Ipas LAC, has worked to support migrants in Tapachula for decades.
Guerrero Castro has observed how the migration crisis has become more complicated and acute in recent years, including the violence faced by migrants: “from violence in their country of origin, to violence in transit, to violence at their point of destination,” she says. “That’s why at Una Mano Amiga we always argue that people’s sexual and reproductive health must be present [en los programas de apoyo a los migrantes],” she adds.
Fabiola Díaz Rovelo, of the Chiapas Foundation for Migrant Women (CHIMUMI), says she is motivated by the great need for sexual and reproductive health care she sees in the migrant community in southern Mexico.
“When the caravans arrived, both the municipal and federal governments focused on attending to the need for food, the need to grant visas; and if there were pregnant women, this was not attended to and was even ignored,” she says. “At the local level we realized that contraception…pregnancies or abortions were not priorities, they were an issue that was overlooked and to this day continues to be overlooked.”
Luz Maria Salinas, who emigrated from El Salvador fleeing domestic violence, says she has gained valuable information from the Te Acompaño chatbot.
“Using it has helped me a lot because now I am aware of many things I didn’t even know, for example, that I can have an abortion and that it’s safe, it’s confidential,” she says. “I realize that now, as women, we have rights and we are listened to. We no longer depend on anyone or a man to make our own decisions.”
“I think the chatbot has enabled migrant women to know what to do and where to go. In case of rape, what to do. Where to go in case they need a [aborto] or where to find abortion services,” says María Teresa Hernández Bocanegra, head of the Department of Violence Prevention and Gender Equity at the Tabasco State Health Secretariat. Here she is seen helping to lead an educational session for migrants at the Oasis de Paz del Espíritu Santo, a shelter for migrants in Villahermosa, Mexico.
“Along the way they also share this information with those who are from other countries…. I heard a woman from Ecuador say ‘no, this is not legalized in my country, but now you are in Mexico; safe abortion in Mexico is legal and these are your rights,'” says Hernandez Bocanegra.
“I am motivated by the fact that all women, regardless of our nationality, can access our right to decide; that girls, adolescents and women can choose the desired maternity,” she adds. “It also motivates me to create or promote health spaces where there is respect for all.
Karina del Carmen Vidal Baeza, general coordinator of Oasis de Paz del Espíritu Santo, a shelter for migrants in Villahermosa, Mexico, shares information about Te Acompaño with the migrant women she serves.
“It has been a tool that has given them confidence knowing that, in this new country they are in, they have a place to go. For them it is a relief because they know that they are more vulnerable, that the chatbot provides them with this information tool… it is a relief [ir a un] health center knowing that here they will guide you with the right steps for such sensitive issues as talking about abuse. The chatbot has given them that confidence.”
The Una Mano Amiga team shares information on sexual and reproductive health and the chatbot Te Acompaño during a march in Tapachula, Mexico, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
“The chatbot has been a very powerful tool for [las mujeres migrantes]”, says Fabiola Diaz Rovelo, of the Chiapas Foundation for Migrant Women (CHIMUMI). “It has made a big difference because, for example on the issue of abortion, they have asked for advice but have knocked on the wrong doors and faced prejudice.”
The chatbot has had a great impact on the women we accompany here in Tapachula,” says Faviel.
Lourdes Faviel of Médicos del Mundo shows Te Acompaño promotional materials during a health education session for immigrants. The promotional materials make it easy for users to log on, start asking their questions and get information.
Doctors of the World has been a key partner with Ipas LAC in developing the chatbot and sharing it with people in need of reproductive health information and care.
Faviel sees firsthand the barriers that Te Acompaño aims to address: “[Las personas migrantes] don’t know which health facilities they can go to for care because they don’t know their rights in Mexican territory,” he says.
“The chatbot has had a positive impact on the women we accompany here in Tapachula,” says Faviel. “They feel safe using a tool where they are not asked for their personal data, where the confidentiality part is taken care of, and I think that gives them peace of mind because they can access information that is safe, that is reliable.”
For Elizabeth Martinez and many other migrants, the chatbot is helping them regain their bodily autonomy.
Diverse network of allies transforms support for immigrant reproductive health
At Ipas LAC, we rely on local partnerships in everything we do because their expertise and deep knowledge of the local context are essential to our success. We have found that the most effective way to create sustainable safe abortion rights and access anywhere is to maintain strong partnerships with all sectors of society.
Based on what we know has worked around the world, Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean created a broad network of partners for this project, including federal, state and local organizations and institutions. Here are just a few of the major positive impacts of this network of partners:
Consolidating a support network for women and others with childbearing capacity: As these partners collaborated in the creation and promotion of Te Acompaño, they also created a strong support network for migrants, an important milestone in strategic partnerships for migrants’ rights and health.
Widespread promotion of Te Acompaño: Our various allies and partners have been able to share the chatbot widely in spaces such as shelters, support centers, collectives, fairs, strategic groups and other organizations and collectives focused on the human rights of migrants.
Training and support for health workers: The design and sharing of Te Acompaño has also involved training and support for health workers so they can use the chatbot with patients and clients to provide them with the information and services they need. Our training helps health workers understand the importance of their role in ensuring access to reproductive health services, as well as dispelling myths about abortion and sexual violence. In the process, some of our allies even became advocates for the right to safe abortion.
“Staff can have [Te Acompaño] for orientation on the rights of migrant women, girls and adolescents on issues [de salud y derechos sexuales y reproductivos]. It is important because there are still many doubts [entre el personal de salud] in terms of safe abortion care … cases of sexual violence, and much more in terms of the migrant population.”
María Teresa Hernández Bocanegra, Secretary of Health of the State of Tabasco, who participated in the training of healthcare personnel on the use of the chatbot.
Strength through unity: 5 of our key alliances for the co-construction of Te Acompaño
Yadira Esmeralda Guerrero Castro
Operational Coordinator, A Helping Hand in the Fight Against AIDS
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Te Acompaño chatbot co-design team member
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Training of migrants on their sexual and reproductive health and rights
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Active promotion of Te Acompaño among the population in the context of migration.
Fabiola Diaz Rovelo
Head, Chiapas Migrant Women’s Foundation (CHIMUMI)
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Te Acompaño chatbot co-design team member
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Education of migrants on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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Active promotion of Te Acompaño among the population in the context of migration.
Karina del Carmen Vidal Baeza
General Coordinator, Oasis de Paz del Espiritu Santo (shelter for migrants in Villahermosa, Tabasco)
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Te Acompaño chatbot co-design team member
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Education of migrants on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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Active promotion of Te Acompaño among the population in the context of migration.
Lourdes Faviel
Directs the health team of Médecins du Monde (France, in Mexico).
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Te Acompaño chatbot co-design team member
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Provision of reproductive health services for migrants (including chatbot referrals)
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Active promotion of Te Acompaño among the population in the context of migration.
María Teresa Hernández Bocanegra
Head of the Department of Violence Prevention and Gender Equity, Secretariat of the State of Tabasco.
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Te Acompaño chatbot co-design team member
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Provide reproductive health services for migrants in public health centers (including referrals from the chatbot).
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Training of health personnel on abortion care and health, as well as on sexual and reproductive rights of migrants.
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Education of migrants on sexual and reproductive health and rights issues
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Active promotion of Te Acompaño among the population in the context of migration.
Te Acompaño is poised to transform reproductive health support for migrants across Mexico. Since its launch in September 2023, the website and chatbot have already proven effective in reaching this population with essential health information and connecting them to care, so far with a focus on the states of Chiapas, Baja California, Tabasco and Mexico City.
We are now ready to expand our coverage and reach many more people in transit through Mexico, including non-Spanish speakers and migrants with visual impairments or limited literacy.
You can collaborate with us to make this happen. With your support we will expand coverage to new states, including the southern border region with Guatemala (Chiapas, Campeche and Oaxaca), as well as Tabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, Jalisco, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Mexico City and Estado de México:
- Update chatbot content with vital information from these states, such as where to access abortion services, where to obtain abortion pills, and local resources to address violence.
- Add new language options for non-Spanish speaking migrants (such as French for people from Haiti).
- Add audio versions of key information for those with low literacy skills.
- Train health systems staff, health service workers, and national and local non-profit organizations to effectively use chatbot with the people they serve.
- Partnering with local networks, collectives and health authorities along key migratory routes to promote Te Acompaño and expand its reach.
- Publicize the chatbot with social media campaigns and promotions at local events and public spaces frequented by migrants and the groups that support them.
About the photographer
Victoria Razo is a freelance photographer based in Mexico City and Veracruz, Mexico. Her work focuses on human rights, gender, migration and environmental stories.
Ipas is committed to ethical communications, use of images and upholding the dignity of people in the work we do. We partner with local photographers who know their communities and share our values.
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