“A 5 year old girl allegedly raped by a 42 year old man sheltering in the same football ground where the victim's family had been living under the tents in Khushibu, Naya Bazar in Kathmandu.”
“A 16 year old girl raped in Duwakot, Bhaktapur”
“A disabled woman in Sindhupalchowk...”
“A girl in Kavre...”
“A woman in Nuwakot…’ and many more.
“Nepal quake survivors face threat from human
traffickers supplying sex trade. In the brothel the women and girls are forced to
have unprotected sex with up to 20 or 30 men a day, seven days a week.”
The massive earthquakes that hit Nepal on April 25
and May 12 have resulted in thousands of deaths, disabilities and displacement
of populations. People are forced to live out in the open, under tents and
tarpaulin. According to UNFPA,
more than two million women of reproductive age are affected by the disaster.
The UN reports suggests that the displaced women and girls living in the temporary shelter and camps are vulnerable
to sexual exploitation, rape, girls trafficking and other forms of gender-based
violence, which is without doubt, increasing the risks of unwanted pregnancies.
In addition to all these risks, the destruction of infrastructures by the
earthquake has halted the provision of reproductive health services. With the
alarming rate of sexual violence during the post-disaster situation, and the lack
of access to reproductive health services, the number of unsafe abortions is
likely to increase due to unwanted pregnancies.
Although majority
of the health facilities have been destroyed by the earthquake, there are
organizations and youth networks continuously working to reach out to the women
and girls with reproductive health services. Various organizations have distributed
“Reproductive Health Kits, Dignity Kits” for addressing the emergency reproductive need of
women in earthquake affected areas. The ASAP team also aided the affected women
through the Nepali Youth Champions by lending a helping hand to maintain their
reproductive health status through a supply of Hygiene Kits.
It is an
undoubtable fact that, supply of essential RH commodities (Sanitary pads,
emergency contraceptives and medical abortion pills) combined with awareness
raising activities can be an effective measure for maintaining menstrual
hygiene, preventing the risks of unprotected sex, unsafe abortion and
preventing and responding to gender based violence even during the crisis
situation. Though there are numerous factors that put women’s Reproductive Health
at risk, coordinated effort to fight back RH issues and Gender based violence
can definitely help the women in Nepal rise from the rubble.
Wrote this piece after the devastating earthquake in Nepal on 25th April, 2015. [Posted in the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP) Blog on 6th November, 2015]
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