Filling the human rights implementation gap: Role of NGOs in securing reproductive rights for Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Abstract

In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland became a major host country for Ukrainian refugees. While the Polish state implemented a range of support measures, access to reproductive rights was notably absent from its crisis response, creating a significant gap in protection and service provision. This thesis examines how non-governmental organisations in Poland have responded to that gap. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the research analyses the work of two NGOs actively engaged in supporting reproductive rights for Ukrainian refugees. It draws on both interviews with NGOs' staff and diverse secondary sources. The analysis is guided by reproductive justice theory and a typology of NGO–state relations, offering a nuanced understanding of how NGOs operate within and around existing state structures to address reproductive health needs in a politically and culturally sensitive environment. It explores both the barriers Ukrainian refugee women face in securing reproductive rights and the challenges NGOs encounter in supporting them, as well as how NGOs navigate these obstacles. The study further investigates the insights that the work of Polish NGOs can offer to the broader discourse on NGOs as gap-fillers in the implementation of human rights.