Refugee women need sexual healthcare too, says Lakshmi Puri
In a recent article in the Guardian, acting head of UN Women sites a report by the Women's Refugee Commission, and highlights the need for family planning to be made available to refugees and women displaced by conflict.
“According to the UN, at the beginning of 2012, more than 15 million people were registered as refugees globally. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said the number of people internally displaced by conflict, war or human rights abuses reached a record-high 28.8 million last year. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says refugees' demands for contraception should be met as soon as possible.
But a study of refugee camps in Djibouti, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia and Uganda – conducted in 2011 by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the Women's Refugee Commission – found the use of contraceptives in camps was lower than in surrounding settlements.”
Read the full Guardian article here.