UNFPA Provides Lifesaving Care to Rohingya Women and Girls
What has been described as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” in Myanmar has caused at least 800,000 refugees from the Rohingya minority group to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.
More than half of the refugees are women and girls – always the most vulnerable during humanitarian crises. Over 68,200 female refugees are pregnant or nursing.
Existing camps, host communities, and relief agencies are overwhelmed by the scale of this crisis. Many of these refugees fled with only what they were wearing, suffered unimaginable hardships in their homes and on the journey, and have no form of shelter in the middle of Bangladesh’s monsoon season.
UNFPA, the United Nations reproductive health and rights agency, is the lead United Nations agency focused on reproductive health and rights. In crisis situations, UNFPA is there to help meet the often overlooked needs of women and girls.
Because women’s reproductive health needs do not stop during emergencies, UNFPA is distributing crucial supplies – dignity kits that include clothing, personal hygiene items, and a flashlight, and clean delivery kits that contain essential supplies for a safe birth such as a plastic sheet, a blanket, sterile gloves, and an umbilical cord tie.
UNFPA currently operates 31 women-friendly spaces in the affected areas of Bangladesh where Rohingya refugees have arrived so women and girls can safely receive a range of services, including referrals to health care and counselling. More than 140,000 recent arrivals have been reached at these spaces, including nearly 2,580 reporting gender-based violence.
Tens of thousands of additional refugees are expected to arrive within only a few weeks. UNFPA needs your help to provide them with necessary care.