452 Refugees and Displaced Women
Reproductive
Health
pregnancy, 67
family planning, 197
monthly bleeding, 48
STIs, 260
pelvic infection, 274
cervical cancer, 377
abortion, 239
nutrition, 165
Refugee and displaced women often find it very difficult to get
proper health care. Health workers may have difficulty reaching
displaced persons in dangerous or faraway areas. Or, if services
are available, health workers may not know the language of the
women they help or the cultural beliefs and practices that affect
health care.
In addition to these general problems, women’s specific
health needs are often overlooked. These needs include:
• care during pregnancy
and birth. Women need
regular care before giving
birth (prenatal care)
and traditional birth
attendants (TBAs) who
understand a woman’s
traditional birthing
practices.
There are no family
planning services
available here.
This is a clinic for
emergencies.
• family planning. In many
refugee communities, the
birth rate is very high. Part
of the reason for this is
that agencies often do not
provide family planning
information or supplies.
Also, crowded refugee
camps offer little privacy
to use these methods, or
secure, personal space to
keep things.
• supplies for monthly bleeding.
• information about and treatment for STIs and HIV.
• health workers trained to detect serious health problems
of women, like pelvic infections and cervical cancer.
• safe abortion. This is often unavailable, especially if the
agencies providing health care are against it.
• extra calcium, iron, folic acid, iodine, and vitamin C in
the diet, especially for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
• being cared for by women health workers. Some women
cannot be examined by men because cultural beliefs
forbid it.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012