According to Human Rights Watch, women and girls in armed conflict face several forms of violations, including conflict-related sexual violence, poverty, unemployment, lack of support, as well as denial of life-saving therapeutic services.
Figures reveal that nearly ninety million girls, or one in five girls globally, live in a conflict zone, suffering devastating effects on their physical and psychological health and future opportunities.
Water is essential for disease prevention
In the Gaza war, women and children were the most targeted by Israeli bombing, and they constituted 70 percent of the targeted civilians.
Human Rights Watch launched its cry through a report calling for the importance of “access to safe water and sanitation facilities, which is essential for women and girls to achieve healthy menstrual hygiene. Failure to meet these needs may lead to serious infections, including hepatitis and yeast vaginosis.” “.
Women and girls in shelters face particular difficulty accessing supplies and facilities, and a lack of awareness about menstrual health, especially among men and boys, may exacerbate their difficulties.
Today, attention is turning to shelter centers in Lebanon after the prolonged aggression against Lebanon led to the martyrdom of hundreds, the wounding of thousands, and widespread destruction, and the displacement of thousands of families to safer places after the intensification of the bombing and the continuing madness of the Israeli army against Lebanon.
According to the latest official figures, about one million people were displaced, and this number reflects the scale of the tragedy. In the chaos that accompanies this displacement and the ongoing military escalation that accompanies it, many are preoccupied with what the coming days will lead to, especially after bloody times in which all standards were upended.
This anticipation and fear makes people’s preoccupations elsewhere, and in times of war and conflict, many people neglect the health of women and girls. Women bear the brunt of war and its repercussions, especially since men are often exposed to military operations and their direct risks, which necessitates greater responsibilities and double burdens.
Women face bleak prospects of displacement
These facts were discussed by Dr. Faisal Al-Qaq, a physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, and a member of the group of foreign policy experts at the World Health Organization.
He pointed to estimates indicating an increase in the percentage of girls and women among those who were displaced, noting that there are tens of thousands of them of reproductive age. The ranks of the displaced also include between 3 and 4 thousand pregnant women.
In addition, many displaced women suffer from chronic diseases, the treatment for which has become intermittent in light of displacement. In addition to this, there is a list of health problems related to women’s health, such as menstrual problems and others, which are exacerbated by pressure, war, and anxiety.
Despite the challenges we face today on more than one level, Al-Qaq stresses the importance of keeping women’s health a priority in order to support them and alleviate the burdens resulting from this complex and difficult war.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide primary information in the shelter centers, which have exceeded 700 centers so far, the most important of which are the emergency numbers and health centers closest to the shelter center to follow up on the health of pregnant women, in addition to the health centers to secure the required medications and basic nutrition to prevent anemia and malnutrition, as well as the necessary vaccines during pregnancy. Pregnancy, and be aware of dangerous signs or symptoms of pregnancy.
In addition to pregnant women, there are women who follow special treatments for certain diseases and need chronic medications, whether cancerous or other. The Minister of Health announced the provision of a hotline for all these cases, in addition to announcing a contact line for mental health follow-up, which is considered basic and necessary in such circumstances.
Awareness of family planning methods
In connection with this, Al-Qaq stresses the importance of not neglecting the issue of menstrual health. There must be elements of personal hygiene and the availability of sanitary pads and other supplies to prevent the occurrence of infections and symptoms that affect women’s health.
It is also necessary to be careful not to cause unwanted pregnancies, while emphasizing the role of awareness-raising on the issue of family planning, especially in today’s extended crisis. This requires basic supplies such as contraceptives, medications for gynecological and infectious infections, and vaccines, in addition to providing the necessary tools to maintain personal hygiene to prevent the spread of epidemics and infections.
On the other hand, as a result of the pressures and difficult current conditions, we may witness an increase in physical and moral violence and harassment, and these are things that are seen in times of conflicts and wars, which requires attention to them and increased awareness of these matters and work to promote support sessions to participate in all concerns and concerns that help relieve pressure. Anxiety and stress.
According to Al-Qaq, among the emergency interventions we work to train health workers at all levels on how to provide health services in conflict, shelter and emergency situations.
It is necessary to combine efforts and realize the importance of focusing and supporting this large segment of the displaced, and including them among the priorities of various emergency health services.
Services and coordination
In a related context, the Ministry of Health reminds us of the details of the medical care provided to the displaced and encourages them to contact it on the hotline 1787, to which the hotline 1214 has been added, so that the two numbers are designated to serve the displaced and to respond to inquiries related to the health services they need, according to the following:
– Referring those who need dialysis to specialized centers.
– Transferring cancer patients who receive radiotherapy to day treatment departments in hospitals in places of displacement, as well as providing cancer patients’ medications that they used to receive from pharmacies, by calling the hotline 1787 or 1214 designated exclusively for cancer patients.
– Follow up on pregnant women.
The Ministry’s teams will also inspect the displaced people in shelter centers to fill out forms related to their health needs, to ensure that there is no shortage of the health services they need.
