Call for Papers - Health And Migration: Perspectives from the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Journal of Migration - the journal of the Platform for Migration at the University of Malta - is now accepting contributions for its first special issue, Health and Migration: Perspectives from the Mediterranean.

Interested authors are invited to submit an abstract by 31 March 2026.

Rationale

This special issue adopts the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) definition of health, namely "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" . Its primary focus is to shed light on the health status, health risks, and access to healthcare among migrant populations. The term migrant populations includes asylum seekers, refugees, third-country workers, economic migrants and forced migrants.

In its first global report on migrant health, the WHO (2022) categorises migrants’ health determinants in terms of individual factors (such as age, gender, genetics, and behaviour); social and economic factors (such as health literacy, income, working conditions, social support, and healthcare services) and the physical environment (such as housing, food, and healthy workplaces).

Furthermore, factors such as transit-related trauma, legal precarity and discrimination often place migrants at higher risk of mental ill health due to relentless stress. In addition to heightened health risks, migrants often face barriers in accessing healthcare for themselves, even though, as the WHO notes, they contribute to their host countries’ health systems in many ways. These barriers may be formal (such as legal status or entitlement, administrative, or financial barriers) or informal (low health literacy, a lack of familiarity with the healthcare system, language barriers, discrimination, or even fear of deportation).

This issue focuses on the health challenges facing migrants in the Mediterranean region, as well as the policies and systems in place to address them, and how these may be strengthened. Empirical articles using any of a range of methods including, but not limited to, qualitative or quantitative designs, longitudinal designs, small n research, and ethnography, are welcome. Contributions that engage with both the lived realities of migrants and/or the institutional responses to health needs are welcome. Theoretical pieces may be submitted, but preference will be given to empirical articles.

Clinical articles may also be submitted but must be accompanied with clear policy and programme implications. Authors should clearly address the context and culture of their scholarship. Single-country studies or comparative studies are welcome, whether comparing with another Mediterranean country or with one outside the Mediterranean region. Though authors may consider submitting any work that falls broadly within this scope, the following are examples of content that closely fits the collection:

1. Health Status and Determinants: The physical, mental, and reproductive health of migrants, with attention to how social and economic factors influence health outcomes.
2. Healthcare Access: The availability, accessibility, and quality of healthcare services at micro- and meso- levels.
3. Policy and Systems: How laws, policies, and broader systems affect migrants’ health and access to care.
4. Representation and Ethics: How health is shaped by cultural identity, ethics, and power structures within migration experiences.

Submission Details

Interested authors are invited to submit an abstract not exceeding 250 words, which includes a working title, research question, and methodology. The abstract should be submitted by email to Platform for Migration and to Ms Denitsa Markova by no later than 31 March 2026.

For submission more information, please visit the Journal’s website or direct any questions by email to Platform for Migration and to Ms Denitsa Markova.