The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls - UNFPA

Approaches
<strong>The</strong> Defining Features <strong>of</strong> Reproductive Health Provision in <strong>Conflict</strong>s
<strong>Conflict</strong> situations are never identical. <strong>The</strong> length <strong>of</strong> displacement varies
considerably from short-term emergencies to increasingly long-term development
situations. <strong>The</strong> settings in which refugees find themselves can also vary
enormously, from huge camps to integration in an urban or rural setting.
Forced migration presents a number <strong>of</strong> challenges in the provision <strong>of</strong>
reproductive health services, in addition to the specific issues pertaining to each
<strong>of</strong> the technical areas <strong>of</strong> reproductive health for refugees, covered in a later
section.
Most refugees are from countries where health indicators are already
poor. In addition, many people who end up leaving their home country have
already been displaced internally or discriminated against prior to flight. Flight
from war, civil or ethnic conflict or natural disaster exacerbates existing health
problems. In these situations, women, in particular, are vulnerable to sexual
violence and abuse. Even once women reach relative safety, conditions still
prevail that further contribute to their ill-health: malnutrition and epidemics; an
absence <strong>of</strong> law and order; increased responsibility for households in the absence
<strong>of</strong> male family members; and the breakdown <strong>of</strong> family structures.
In addition, the highly political nature <strong>of</strong> complex emergencies can make
the provision <strong>of</strong> reproductive health care an especially sensitive issue. It is,
therefore, important to ensure that services reach the host/local population as
well as the displaced population. Doing so will not only reduce the possibility <strong>of</strong>
tension between the communities but also make clear that there is no
discriminatory dimension in the provision <strong>of</strong> services.
Health providers have a duty to provide the highest possible level <strong>of</strong> care
to those they serve; reproductive health is a fundamental human right, and it is
an abuse <strong>of</strong> human rights to withhold reproductive health services. Although
reproductive health services are a vital part <strong>of</strong> humanitarian aid, their provision
has become so politicized that some health providers are not only failing to
provide services themselves but also trying to prevent others from doing so.
<strong>The</strong> situation <strong>of</strong> Kosovar refugees in Albania clearly illustrates many <strong>of</strong> the
issues surrounding the provision <strong>of</strong> reproductive health care in refugee settings.
<strong>The</strong> UNFPA Reproductive Health Kit for Emergency Situations was specifically
designed to facilitate the timely and appropriate delivery <strong>of</strong> reproductive health
services in the initial acute phase <strong>of</strong> an emergency situation and to allow
planning for comprehensive services as the situation develops.
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