“UNFPA calls for access to all areas in the Tigray region and the surrounding areas to address the humanitarian situation.”
The United Nations Population Fund in Ethiopia is leading an effort to help women and girls in conflict regions who are vulnerable to sexual violence and maternal complications while also lacking menstrual supplies. UNFPA Ethiopia, which has been promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country since 1973, is now striving to provide vital resources to the vulnerable groups in the areas impacted by war.
The effort is especially focused on the Tigray region, where a longstanding political dispute in Ethiopia escalated to violence in recent months and disrupted the life of thousands.
“Access to lifesaving assistance, such as dignity and post-rape kits, treatment to prevent HIV and STI transmission and psychosocial support is much-needed in Tigray region and affected areas,” the agency stated. “UNFPA is ready to deliver all these commodities to IDPs and refugees.”
According to the UNFPA, at least $ 5.1 M is needed to address maternal and reproductive health needs of women and girls in the impacted areas.
The humanitarians are also striving to help women who are lacking menstrual supplies while fleeing for safety and living as refugees.
“UNFPA calls for access to all areas in the Tigray region and the surrounding areas to address the humanitarian situation and provide much-needed aid of dignity and reproductive health kits,” the agency stated.
UNFPA Ethiopia has also partnered with Save the Children in Ethiopia to provide reproductive health kits for clean birth deliveries.
The agency said much-needed menstrual hygiene supplies were handed to the Ministry of Health Ethiopia, which has the responsibility of delivering the items.
“Full access to all humanitarian actors is crucial for life-saving supplies to those affected by the crisis,” UNFPA stated.
In a statement on Jan. 21, the Ministry of Health said it has deployed teams of different health professionals to Tigray while medicines and medical supplies worth 71 million birr have been sent to Pharmaceutical supply agency hubs in the region.
“In addition to deploying essential medicines and medical supplies, technical and financial support including ambulances to restore the continuity of essential services in health facilities is being provided,” the department said. “Outreach and surveillance activities in the community and mobile clinic services are also being deployed in collaboration with health sector partners.”
የኢ.ፌ.ዴ.ሪ ጤና ሚኒስቴር፣ ኤጀንሲዎቹ እና የትግራይ ክልል ጤና ቢሮ ከሰብዓዊና ከልማት አጋሮች ጋር በመተባበር በትግራይ ክልል ድጋፍ እና መልሶ ማቋቋም ላይ በስፋት እየሰሩ…
Posted by Ministry of Health,Ethiopia on Thursday, January 21, 2021
UN official Pramila Patten said the agency has received serious reports of large-scale sexual violence, particularly around Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
“There are also disturbing reports of individuals allegedly forced to rape members of their own family, under threats of imminent violence,” Patten said in a statement. “Some women have also reportedly been forced by military elements to have sex in exchange for basic commodities, while medical centers have indicated an increase in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections, which is often an indicator of sexual violence in conflict.”
In addition, Patten said reports of sexual violence are increasing in refugee camps.
“Patten calls on all parties involved in the hostilities in the Tigray region to commit to a ZERO-TOLERANCE policy for crimes of sexual violence,” the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict stated.
Focusing on women who lack access to delivery and emergency obstetric care services, the UNFPA said its working with partners to ensure that no women die while delivering.
Azeb Gebresilassie Tesema, a health system researcher and academic who has been working at Mekelle University since 2010, said “war disproportionately affects women and girls as they can be subjected to sexual violence and abuse.”
“There have been reports of women being raped in the capital city of Tigray, Mekelle,” Tesema wrote in a recent article. “Such violence could be worse in rural and other towns of Tigray. Furthermore, the traumatic events of the past two months would undoubtedly result in mental health and psychosocial problems.”
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