UNFPA: Prolonged drought increasing GBV risk in Somalia

The prolonged drought ravaging Somalia has affected at least two million women of reproductive age.

Of the number, more than 380,000 are currently pregnant and in need of life-saving sexual and reproductive health services and information, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-Somalia says in its end-year brief.

The sexual and reproductive agency said multiple displacements, overcrowded and poorly-lit shelters and toilets in camps, and the need to travel long distances for necessities such as water, food, and animal feed have exacerbated their vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV).

Also read: In Somalia, hunger worsens women’s woes

"Child marriage has become a harmful coping mechanism for families struggling with poverty, exposing the girl child to the dangers of physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition, and an elevated risk of maternal and neonatal mortality,” it says.

It has raised the alarm that the abuse has resulted in unwanted and high-risk pregnancies among many women and girls who have been violated. It further noted that the pregnant women who have been displaced or forced to relocate are at higher risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, including the fatal risk of haemorrhaging.

Funding

This year, the agency said it needs $63.1 million (about Sh7.82 billion) to continue providing women with vital services, including improving access to and availability of family planning services.

By the end of last year, the agency supported 69 health facilities  to provide emergency obstetric care. It also supported 61 GBV centres to offer life-saving services.

Somalia has the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world, with 99 per cent of the girls aged 15–19 having been cut.

The adolescent birth rate is also high at 118 per 1,000 girls aged 15–19.

[email protected]