We Want Birth Control: Reproductive Health Findings in Northern Uganda – Summary Report

In 1994, the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) published a landmark report that described how little was being done to address the critical reproductive health needs of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). That report served as a call to action for the humanitarian community. In the 13 years since the report was published, significant progress has been made in establishing standards and guidelines for reproductive health care and in the provision of services to some refugee populations. However, as a 2004 follow-up study made clear, reproductive health care in conflict settings is still greatly under-funded, and there is a significant gap in reproductive health services for IDPs. This was illustrated vividly when a team from WRC and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) conducted a reproductive health assessment among conflict-affected populations in the Kitgum and Pader districts of northern Uganda in February 2007.