Refugee women and children
editWomen in Camps
editHealth Concerns
editFrequently, especially in low-income countries, the health issues facing refugee women are not unique to refugees, but are common to the entire female population. These range from dehydration and diarrhea to high fevers and malaria, but also include more broad phenomena, such as gender-based violence and maternal health. All of these ailments, however, are multiplied for refugee women because of the external factors contributing to their particularly poor health. These external factors include culturally-reinforced gender inequality, limited mobility, lack of access to healthcare facilities, high population density within the refugee camps, and low levels of education.[1] [2] [3]
One of the biggest concerns regarding female refugees’ health is their reproductive health. In refugee situations, reproductive health often falls to the bottom of the list of priorities, primarily because in situations where healthcare is already scarce, life-saving measures are often of prime concern. Much of reproductive health is not seen as a “life or death” issue, although it clearly is. Because of the lack of healthcare infrastructure in refugee-dense areas, women often give birth without any trained medical staff present. Complications during birth can often result from a lack of healthcare assistants or medical facilities.[4]
Another key healthcare concern is that of gender-based violence within the refugee camps.[5] It is generally recognized that, “displacement, uprootedness, the loss of community structures, the need to exchange sex for material goods or protection all lead to distinct forms of violence, particularly sexual violence against women,”[6] making women in refugee situations particularly vulnerable. Additionally, sexual violence is considered a taboo subject in many cultures, and therefore gender-based violence often goes unreported. Even if women did have the courage to report violence, oftentimes there is nowhere within the refugee camp for them to turn.[7]
- ^ Poureslami, IM (September 20). "Sociocultural, Environmental, and Health Challenges Facing Women and Children Living Near the Borders Between Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan (AIP Region)". MedGenMen. 6 (3). Retrieved 13 April 2011.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Women as Refugees: A Health Overview" (PDF). Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ "Women's Concerns". UNHCR.
- ^ "Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations: An Interagency Field Manual". UNHCR. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ "Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons". UNHCR. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ "Reproductive Health in Refugee Situations: An Interagency Field Manual". UNHCR. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ Merson, Michael (2006). International Public Health: Diseases, Programs, Systems, and Policies. Jones and Bartlett. p. 337. ISBN 9780763729677.